SafeZone App
SafeZone is our free mobile app, helping to keep you and our University community safe.
With the touch of a button, you can quickly access first aid and emergency support, raise concerns with our Campus Support & Safety team, and receive urgent notifications if an incident occurs.
SafeZone also supports your health and wellbeing, with a dedicated wellbeing advice button that connects you directly to relevant staff, student wellbeing services and online support, available 24/7 when you need it.
It is available across multiple locations at the University of Huddersfield, as well as at universities across the UK and internationally that are part of the SafeZone Alliance.
We have partnered with Critical ARC to provide SafeZone to our staff and students. When you request assistance, the app shares your location and alerts the Campus Support & Safety team, allowing them to coordinate an appropriate response and get help to you as quickly and effectively as possible.
Download SafeZone through Apple Store or Google Play and have support at your fingertips whenever you need it.
What SafeZone Offers:
First aid - for when you need medical assistance if you are injured or feeling unwell, just tap the green button to get help quickly from the nearest first aider. You can update your profile with medical conditions or disabilities that you want us to be aware of to support to give the right care faster.
Emergency - if you feel threatened or need urgent assistance press the red button to alert the Campus Support and Safety Team immediately in an emergency. You can also call 999 directly from the app – we will be notified of this so we can support you straight away.
Check in - share your location with Campus Support and Safety for your personal safety. If you are working or studying late along then check in on campus so we know you are here, don’t forget to check out when you leave. Or you can set up a timer if it runs out and we don’t hear from you we will check in to make sure you are okay.
Notifications - if there is an incident on campus that requires you to take action this helps you stay updated with real-time campus alerts and safety updates. You can also receive alerts from other participating universities if you are activate in a SafeZone alliance working or visiting another University within the UK or abroad.
Report safety concerns - spotted something worrying? Report any issues or suspicious activity you see on campus. You can choose to stay anonymous, but this may limit how effectively we can respond.
SafeZone App FAQs
SafeZone is for all students and staff, including visiting and honorary staff, via your @hud.ac.uk email account and login details. If you have any questions or concerns logging in, please contact estates.control@hud.ac.uk
- Name: Use your real name. This helps to ensure Campus Support & Safety can identify you if you need help
- Phone number: Provide your mobile number. If you are signing up for the first time on an iPad or tablet, use your mobile number (even if that is not a smartphone). In most situations, responders will use this to contact you
- Picture (optional): This will help responders identify you if you are in a crowded location
Once you’ve signed up, you can open the SafeZone app and update the details in your profile at any time.
During installation, some of these settings will be configured for you after you grant permission. To get the maximum benefit from using the app, you should check the following:
- Location Services Enabled - access to your location is needed to allow you to ‘Raise Alerts’, ‘Check In’, connect Bluetooth devices and sign up.
- SafeZone recommends this is set to “Always Allow Access”.
- Always allowing access does not mean your location is always shared with responders. Your location is only shared when you actively raise an alert or check-in.
- Notification Services Enabled - In an emergency or major incident, the University may need to send you ‘Alerts’ through push notifications. These notifications may contain:
- Information or instructions (in the case of emergencies) or links to websites for further information
- A request to Check-in
- WiFi Enabled - having Wi-Fi enabled (without even being connected to a network) will significantly improve the accuracy of the location information sent by your device.
SafeZone is GDPR-compliant and privacy-protected. Your location is only shared with Campus Support and Safety or emergency services when you actively choose to share it (requesting help, checking in, or reporting). You control your visibility and can cancel alerts any time. Your location data is used solely for safety purposes, not for management, discipline, or attendance checks.
Under GDPR, we are also prohibited from sharing your data with family members, guardians, or next or kin. We would only release data if forced to do so by a legal warrant from the police.
You'll need an internet connection to access all app features. If your connection drops, you'll see the option to call 999. In most cases when you lose signal, you'll be able to call 999 as your phone will automatically connect to the strongest available signal for the emergency call.
Download SafeZone via the App Store or Google Play.
SafeZone covers our main campus and the area around the University of Huddersfield National Health and Innovation Campus. You can view the map of directly in the app by selecting 'Regions' or the map icon.
Outside these areas, SafeZone connects to local emergency services (999 equivalent) worldwide. To communicate directly with Campus Support & Safety teams when visiting other universities that use SafeZone, you can join the SafeZone Alliance.
To cancel an accidental SafeZone call, tap the button again before the timer ends. Even after the alert is sent, you can cancel, but Campus Support & Safety will contact you for a safety check.
No – extensive testing of the app across multiple organisations has shown that battery life is unaffected – it simply sits in the background until you require it.