Festivals · raves · shows · events

SOSS Save Our Squad Signal

Be the beacon. Be the light.

Packed in and nobody can hear or see you? SOSS turns your phone into a flashing beacon in the dark. Hold one button, raise it high, get noticed. Text your squad with one more hold.

  • Free
  • No ads
  • No account
  • Native app

Free on the App Store

Download on the App Store Try demo

On Android? Join the closed beta . Google needs 12 testers before we can go public on Play.

SOSS active signal screen showing red emergency flash

✨ What’s new

Flag staff and Find me

Need to be found without an alarm? Two quiet beacons now live under Assist. Red-and-white SOS on home stays for real emergencies.

🚩 Flag staff

Slow amber waving flag for ushers: spilled drinks, seat issues, “please come here.” No siren.

👋 Find me

Pick a meetup color (or tap + for a full color wheel) and hold up a waving hand so friends can spot you.

Full update notes →

💬 Real talk

Lights everywhere... but you're stuck in the dark. Bass loud, something feels off, and yelling does not work. You are not med staff. You still need a way to stand out for help.

✨ Why this exists

A new signal for help.

SOSS is short for Save Our Squad Signal. It is also your SOS Signal in the crowd. Say it like sauce. Same confidence, different situation.

After years at festivals, raves, and concerts, I kept seeing the same nightmare: someone goes down, the sound wins every shout, and you are not a doctor, not security, not med staff. You feel powerless. You want to help and you cannot get anyone’s attention.

SOSS is for that gap. Raise a clear red-and-white beacon for yourself or for someone next to you so security and medical can find them in the moment. You are not replacing the pros. You are making sure they can see who needs them.

Be the beacon. Be the light. Stop freezing as a bystander. Be the one who stands out when it matters.

SOSS home screen with NEED HELP and Alert my squad buttons

📱 The app

See it in action

Dark, loud, crowded. Hold one button. Flash, sound, raise your phone. Hover the strip to pause and read each step, including sending a squad text in Messages.

Hover to pause · arrows to skip

SOSS home screen
Home
Hold 0.5 sec on NEED HELP or Alert my squad.
Active red and white signal
Active signal
Max brightness, sound, and vibration.
Review squad alert before sending
Review in SOSS
Read the message. Tap Send via Messages.
SMS opens in Messages. You tap send
Send in Messages
SOSS opens your SMS app. You tap the send arrow.
SOSS confirms after you send the text
Sent confirmation
Feedback only after you actually send.
SOSS settings screen
Settings
Flash pattern and alert sound. Always max volume.

👥 Alert my squad

Reach your squad quietly.

Not every moment needs your phone in the air. Sometimes you need to reach someone you trust without making a scene. Alert my squad is a quick backup when something feels wrong, in a packed crowd or on your own.

Separate button on the home screen. Add your person in Profile. Hold Alert my squad, SOSS drafts a text with your name and location. You read it. You tap send. SOSS never auto-texts.

  1. 1
    Hold Alert my squad 0.5 sec on home. Separate from NEED HELP.
  2. 2
    Review in SOSS GPS and timestamp in the message preview.
  3. 3
    Tap send in Messages SOSS opens SMS. You confirm. Nothing auto-sends.
  4. 4
    Sent confirmation SOSS confirms only after you actually send the text.
Crowd or solo You control every send GPS only when you activate
SOSS confirms squad SMS after you send in Messages

Example message

🚨 SOSS: I need help

I activated Save Our Squad Signal. Please find me or alert event security / medical staff nearby.

📍 maps.google.com/...

⚡ How it works

Hold. Flash. Get seen.

Be bold enough to be seen. One button, no pocket dials. For when you need the crowd or your squad to notice.

🆘 NEED HELP

Hold to activate. Screen, flashlight, and alert sound pulse together. Visible and audible across a crowded floor.

🔊 Alert sounds

SOS Morse, distress whistle, or siren. Loud enough to cut through. Plays in silent mode.

📲 Alert my squad

Text your emergency contact with your location. You tap send. SOSS never auto-texts.

📡 S.O.S. Morse

Flash and sound in international distress code. The pattern people recognize.

🔒 Hold to stop

Will not turn off from a pocket tap. You choose when the signal ends.

📍 Your location

GPS only when you activate. Never uploaded to SOSS servers. No background tracking.

🚩 Flag staff

Amber beacon for ushers. No siren. Not SOS. That’s still on home.

👋 Find me

Meetup color + waving hand so friends can spot you. Tap + for a full color wheel.

❤️ From the community

Used when it mattered.

“At a Slander show in Minneapolis, I used SOSS when someone near me fell and started seizing. Staff and EMT showed up quickly. The person was taken out after the seizure stopped. Thank you for this.”

Shared with permission · Anonymous · Bystander use (not their own emergency)

The hero here is the person who already had SOSS on their phone and chose to help a stranger. I built SOSS because I have felt that powerless feeling in the crowd too many times: not medical, not security, just another person who wants to do something. SOSS lets you stand out for someone else and get them the attention they need right then. We do not want these scenarios. When one happens, do not stay a bystander. Be the beacon. SOSS does not call 911. It helps you get seen. What to do if you spot SOSS →

👀 If you see SOSS

Someone near you needs help.

Phone raised, flashing red and white? That is not a light show. That is distress. Flag security, med staff, or anyone with a radio. Check on them if it is safe. The story above is what looking out for a stranger can look like.

Don’t stay a bystander.

Raised phone, flashing with an alert sound? That is not the set. Flag security or med staff. You do not have to be a doctor to help someone get found. SOSS does not call 911. If it is life-threatening, call emergency services and keep the signal up so people can find them.

💙 Party safe

Look out for each other.

SOSS is one tool. Not the whole picture. We believe in responsible raving and festival culture that actually takes care of people.

If you are in the U.S., consider a free opioid overdose course that includes Narcan (naloxone) by mail after completion: End Overdose · Opioid Overdose training. SOSS is not affiliated with End Overdose. We share it because community members asked and it is real harm reduction work. We hope to partner with groups like this as SOSS grows.

Flash the signal when you need help. Hydrate. Check on your friends. If someone is in trouble, get med staff involved.

End Overdose naloxone nasal spray and branded pouch

Free Narcan by mail after training · End Overdose (not affiliated with SOSS)

❓ FAQ

Common questions

SOSS (Save Our Squad Signal) is a free visual SOS app for festivals, raves, concerts, and any loud crowd.

What is SOSS (Save Our Squad Signal)?

SOSS is a free iPhone app that turns your phone into a red-and-white emergency beacon. Hold one button to flash the screen and torch, play a loud alert sound, and optionally text your emergency contact with your GPS location. Built for festivals and crowded events.

Is SOSS a replacement for calling 911?

No. SOSS is a visual distress signal for crowds. It does not automatically contact emergency services. In a life-threatening emergency, call local emergency services (such as 911) when you can.

When should I use SOSS at a festival or concert?

Use it when you need help and cannot be heard or seen: a medical issue, feeling unsafe, overdose or heat stroke, or needing staff attention fast. Raise your phone so security and med teams can spot you.

Has anyone used SOSS in a real emergency?

Yes. With permission, a community member shared that they used SOSS at a Slander show in Minneapolis when someone near them fell and started seizing. They said staff and EMT showed up quickly. Read the story on this page under From the community. Every situation is different. SOSS is a visibility tool, not a replacement for emergency services.

What should I do if I see someone using SOSS?

Phone raised, flashing red and white? That is distress, not a light show. Flag security, medical staff, or venue personnel immediately. Call emergency services if it is life-threatening.

Is SOSS free?

Yes. Free on the App Store, no ads, no account required.

How do I get SOSS on Android?

Android is in Google Play closed testing. Apply for the Android beta. We need testers opted in for 14 days before public launch. iPhone is live now.

What are Flag staff and Find me?

Both are under Non-emergency / Assist on the home screen. Flag staff is an amber, no-siren beacon to get ushers. Find me is a meetup-color waving-hand beacon so friends can spot you (tap + for a full color wheel). Red-and-white SOS on home stays for true emergencies. What’s new →

🔒 Privacy

On your phone. Under your control.

SOSS is self-funded and local-first. Built so a bad take on the internet cannot redefine what the app actually does.

No SOSS account

Profile and squad contacts stay on your device. We do not run a cloud of your SOS data.

Location stays put

GPS is read only when you activate or prepare a squad alert. It is never uploaded to SOSS servers.

You send every text

Squad alerts open Messages. You review. You tap Send. No silent SMS.

Make it better

If you can build safer crowd tools, go do it. Helping people get seen matters more than gatekeeping the idea.

Full details: Privacy Policy

🎧 Squad Sounds

From the community, for the community.

Showcase your music on the Squad Sounds playlist. Local DJs and producers submit tracks on SoundCloud, we add them by hand. Website only. The app stays emergency-only.

Showcase your music

Player at the bottom of this page. Visit Squad Sounds to listen or submit a track.

Follow @getsoss

Need help in a crowd?

Be the beacon. Be the light. Free on the App Store for iPhone. Android beta testers welcome. Every opt-in gets us closer to public Play Store.

Free on the App Store

Download on the App Store Join Android beta
App Store Android beta