How Alerts Work

What happens when you miss a check-in, step by step.

StillSafe uses a multi-step escalation process designed to reach you first before notifying your emergency contacts. Here is exactly what happens, what channels are used, and what limits are in place.

The Escalation Timeline

Step 1 Reminder Before Deadline

When: 30 minutes before your check-in is due (configurable in settings).

What: You receive a reminder via your enabled channels:

Push notification — free, if enabled
Email — free, if enabled
SMS — Premium only, if enabled

Step 2 Deadline Missed — We Try to Reach You

When: Immediately after your deadline passes without a check-in.

What (Premium with AI calls enabled): StillSafe calls your phone using an AI voice assistant. You get up to 3 call attempts, spaced 5 minutes apart. If you confirm you are safe on the call, the alert is resolved and your contacts are never notified.

What (Free plan or AI calls disabled): Proceeds directly to Step 3.

Step 3 Emergency Contacts Notified (Tier 1)

When: If you don't respond to AI calls (or AI calls are not enabled).

What: Your Tier 1 emergency contacts are notified via their enabled channels:

Email — always available on all plans
SMS text message — Premium only
AI voice call — Premium only

Each notification includes your name, last check-in time, and a link for the contact to confirm your safety. If you have location sharing enabled, your last known coordinates are included.

Step 4 Tier Escalation (Premium)

When: If the alert remains unresolved after the escalation delay (default: 2 hours per tier).

What: Your next tier of emergency contacts is notified using the same channels. This repeats for each tier you have configured until the alert is resolved.

Step 5 All Clear

When: You check in or a contact confirms you are safe.

What: All contacts who were notified receive an all-clear stand-down message. Your check-in timer resets and the cycle starts over normally.

Notification Channels by Plan

Channel	Free Plan	Premium Plan	Who Receives
Email	Included	Included	You + your contacts
Push notification	Included	Included	You (on your devices)
SMS text message	Not available	Included	You + your contacts
AI voice call (to you)	Not available	Included	You (before alerting contacts)
AI voice call (to contacts)	Not available	Included	Your emergency contacts

Built-In Limits and Safeguards

StillSafe includes several safeguards to prevent excessive notifications and protect both you and your emergency contacts from alert fatigue.

Safeguard	Limit	What Happens
AI call attempts per missed check-in	3 calls, 5 minutes apart	If all 3 go unanswered, contacts are notified.
Contact notification cooldown	1 hour per contact	A contact will not be re-notified within 60 minutes of their last notification.
Daily notification cap	10 notifications per user per 24 hours	Once reached, no further alert notifications are sent until the window resets.
Auto-pause (consecutive misses)	3 consecutive missed check-ins	Check-ins are automatically paused to prevent repeated alerts. You receive an email and can resume by checking in on your dashboard. (Can be toggled in Settings.)
Tier escalation delay	2 hours per tier (default)	Next-tier contacts are notified only after the delay elapses without resolution. Configurable per contact.
Night mode	Configurable hours	Reminders and deadlines are deferred during your night mode window.
Travel mode	On/off toggle	While travel mode is active, check-ins and alerts are suspended entirely.
Emergency contacts (Free plan)	1 contact	Premium allows unlimited contacts across multiple tiers.

Typical Notification Volume

The number of notifications depends on your check-in schedule and how often you check in on time. Here are typical scenarios:

Normal usage (check in on time): 1 reminder per check-in cycle. With a 24-hour interval, that is about 7 reminders per week to you. Your contacts receive zero notifications.
Occasional missed check-in: 1 reminder + 1 alert to contacts + 1 stand-down when you check in. Approximately 3 total messages per incident.
Premium with AI calls: Same as above, plus up to 3 AI voice calls to you before contacts are notified. If you answer and confirm you are safe, contacts receive nothing.
Repeated misses: After 3 consecutive missed check-ins, auto-pause activates. No further alerts until you resume.

Important: Best-Effort Delivery

All notifications are sent on a best-effort basis. StillSafe relies on third-party services (email providers, SMS carriers, voice call providers, push notification infrastructure) that are outside our control. We cannot guarantee delivery, timing, or receipt of any notification. For full details, see the Safety Disclaimers in our Terms of Service.