GoLynQ Help

A one-tap SOS, a safety check-in that raises the alarm by itself, and your family on one private map. Free, with no account, on iPhone and in any browser.

By the GoLynQ team at Vidēre Research · Updated October 17, 2026

Open GoLynQ Help

If something happens, the right people find out

GoLynQ Help is built around one situation: something goes wrong on a solo hike, on a late walk home or at a remote work site, and you can't make a phone call. The people who care about you should still know where you are, right away.

One tap shares your live location, puts you on your circle's map and opens your alert to your contacts. A safety check-in raises the alarm by itself if you don't check in on time. And your family can see each other on a map every day, with no alert unless someone needs help.

GoLynQ Help is available as an iPhone app and on the web at help.golynq.me. The app has no account, no subscription, no in-app purchases and no ads.

GoLynQ Help is not an emergency service and does not replace one. In an emergency, always call your local emergency number first. Alerts depend on your phone, battery, signal, GPS and permissions: they can fail or be delayed, and your phone asks for a final tap before any call or text message is sent.

How it works

  1. Set it up in about a minute: your name, your primary contact, location and notification permissions, an invitation for your circle, and a test message so your contact knows what an alert from you looks like.
  2. In trouble, tap SOS · I need help and choose Loud (siren, flashing light and vibration) or Silent (nothing visible or audible). Your live location link starts and your circle sees you with an SOS sign, with no further tap.
  3. Send the alert: your text message or WhatsApp message opens with your quick message ("I'm hurt", "I'm being followed", "I'm lost", "Please call me") and the live link. Tap Send.
  4. When it's over, hold "I'm safe" to stop. Holding, rather than tapping, means a bump or someone grabbing your phone can't end it.

Safety check-in

Before a hike, a date, a solo shift or a walk home, start a countdown: from 1 minute to 8 hours, with where you're going and when you'll be back. If you don't check in on time, your help signal starts by itself.

  • On iPhone, reminders come 5 minutes and 1 minute before the end, with I'm OK and +15 min right in the notification, and the countdown shows on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island.
  • The countdown keeps running with the phone locked. At zero, your help signal (and the siren, if you chose Loud) start by themselves.
  • If your phone can't send anything (switched off, broken, out of battery), GoLynQ's server texts your contacts about 90 seconds later, with your name, your last known position and your live link.

Your circle

Invite family and friends once, with a link or a QR code. They join in GoLynQ Help or in GoLynQ Meet, in any browser. They see you on a map when you ask for help, and get a notification that breaks through Focus on iPhone.

With Always share (iPhone app, optional), your circle sees where you are all the time, with no alert unless you ask for help. It keeps working when the app is closed and saves battery by using GPS only while you move. A family can use a single circle: one person creates it, the others scan its QR code once.

Your contacts follow you on a map with a NEEDS HELP banner, your name, your message, your battery level and the path you've taken. They don't need an app or an account. Optional medical information (allergies, medication, blood type) is end-to-end encrypted and shown only to the people following your link. The link ends when you're safe, and is deleted.

Alerting people nearby

You can let people near you who use GoLynQ Meet see a red HELP signal at your exact position, so someone close by can come. You choose when: with loud alerts only (the default), with every alert, or never. Strangers then see exactly where you are, so it's your decision.

On iPhone: Siri, the Action button and widgets

  • Say "Hey Siri, GoLynQ SOS" for a silent help signal, "GoLynQ alarm" for a loud one, or "GoLynQ check in" to start your check-in with your last settings.
  • Put an action on the Action button, or find it in Shortcuts and Spotlight.
  • Add the "I need help" widget to the Home Screen or Lock Screen, or to Control Center.
  • The siren plays even with the silent switch on, and keeps going when the screen locks. It has five sounds, from a fast yelp to a three-blast whistle or Morse SOS, with vibration and an SOS flashlight.

Who uses it

  • Families: everyone on one private map, and an alert the moment someone needs help.
  • Teens and kids: always sharing with their parents, with no alert unless they're in trouble.
  • Solo hiking, trail running, climbing and skiing: a check-in set to your planned return.
  • Lone workers: site visits, night shifts, deliveries, real-estate showings.
  • Walking home at night, and travel: a silent SOS, or "Hey Siri, GoLynQ SOS".
  • Dates and meetups with strangers: a check-in that a friend knows about.
  • Caring for someone: a relative who goes for walks alone.

Why do I still tap Send?

Apple and Google don't let any app send a text message or place a call without a person confirming it. It's an anti-abuse protection that applies to every app equally. That's why GoLynQ Help does everything else without a tap: your live location link and your circle's map start the moment you ask for help or a check-in runs out, your circle is notified, the siren starts by itself, and when a check-in runs out and your phone can't send, GoLynQ's server texts your contacts.

Privacy

  • No account: no sign-up and no email address.
  • Stays on your phone: your contacts, your quick message, your medical information and your settings.
  • During a help signal: your position, path, name and message are shown on your live link and to your circle (and to people nearby, if you allow it). They are deleted when you're safe, or automatically within a day.
  • During a check-in: your contacts' numbers and your last position are kept on the server only so it can text them if your phone can't. They are deleted as soon as you check in.
  • Maps, addresses and statistics: OpenStreetMap, Nominatim, Esri satellite images, and anonymous usage statistics through Google Analytics.

The full list is in the guide's privacy section and on the GoLynQ privacy page.

The GoLynQ Help user guide covers every screen and setting, with troubleshooting tips.