Life360, the location and communication service for families, is nearing 25 million registered users and expects to reach that milestone before the end of this year. In addition, it has also added two new in-app features: geo-fencing and crime data integration. With these new tools at their disposal, families will be able to find out where their loved ones are located and ensure their safety.
A competitor to Apple’s “Find my friend” app, Life360 is a very helpful service that many families and loved ones are using to make sure that they know what’s around them at all times. The maps display detailed information such as hospitals, fire departments, police stations, and even where the sex offenders live — very important in a lot of neighborhoods. It even has a panic button that sends a phone call, text, and email to designated family members along with your location and check-in so they can find you.
Since the app launched in 2009, Life360 has shared more than 150 billion location points and over 2,500 are shared every second. Chris Hulls, co-founder and CEO, says that:
Scaling to this size so quickly is validation that families are relying on us to help them manage their busy, on-the-go lives. We see first-hand every day the growing importance of private family networks and we are proud to serve more than 10 million families with our free app…
With Life360’s geo-fencing feature, called “Places”, users can now designate specific places to receive alerts for. Whether it’s a school, mall, office, or home, now people can quickly be informed when someone has arrived at that destination.
How many times have you asked someone to call or text you when they get to their destination because you feared for their safety? Now geo-fencing should hope to alleviate a bit of that fear and notify you automatically.
The service’s crime data integration will raise family awareness about the dangers around the neighborhood by displaying all reported crime data. The company says that this data will help support its commitment to help keep families safe by sharing nearby threats. If needed, the crime data can be turned on or off at any time.
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Based on the service this app provides, it’s no wonder that it has been so well backed by Google, Facebook, Kapor Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, 500 Startups, and many others — all to the tune of $10 million.
Photo credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images
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