The SaveMePro app sends a distress text when a locked smartphone's power button is tapped eight times in a row. The possibly life-saving program was written by a 12-year-old.
A star student in science, math and engineering, Dylan Puccetti, of Galveston, Texas, says he hopes his app will help prevent someone from losing their life.
"If I was getting abducted and I have my phone in my pocket, all I have to do is reach down and press the power button," says Dylan of the SaveMePro app.
The idea to create the app came to Dylan after hearing his dad talking about the disappearance of Jessica Cain, whose family last heard from the Galveston teen in 1997. Dylan's father was friends with Cain's dad and the family would often talk about the teen's disappearance.
"His mind is always going," says Dylan's father, Michael Puccetti. "He's always thinking of great stuff."
The younger Puccetti already has two patents. His SaveMePro app is available in the Google Play Store.
"All you have to do is press the power button 8 times, no need to unlock the phone or open the app," reads the app's description. "This will send a customizable emergency message to up to three contacts of your choice. As a silent confirmation, the phone will vibrate once the signal is sent."
Users can upgrade the SaveMePro for 99 cents, unlocking a GPS tracking service for up to 72 hours. The app reminds users that it isn't meant to replace 911, but it offers several scenarios in which it could save anyone's life.
"You're at a poorly lit gas station at night and someone starts to bother or harass you," states the description. "A simple push of a button will alert a contact that you need help. You're on a blind date that isn't going very well. Without the other person even knowing, you can send a signal that will prompt a phone call, supplying you with a way out of the date."
SaveMePro is just one of many examples of how smartphone apps can help users avert danger and survive emergencies. The Pulse Point app recently drew a volunteer EMT to the scene where an infant had stopped breathing and was turning blue.
The infant survived the incident, thanks in part to the Pulse Point app. It was the first time the app facilitated the notification of emergency personal since the Spokane Fire Department registered with the program.
