Startle.
An alarm for when it moves.
Startle: Anti-Theft Alarm
Startle sounds an alarm when the phone is moved, taken from a pocket or unplugged. Arm it before you leave your phone on a café table or charging in a shared room.
- Free with ads
- Android 7.0+
- No account
Startle: Anti-Theft Alarm
What it does.
Three triggers.
Motion: the alarm sounds if the phone is moved or picked up. Pocket: it sounds if the phone is taken out of your pocket. Charger: it sounds if the charger is unplugged.
Arm it in seconds.
Tap Arm in the app or the Quick Settings tile. A countdown of 5, 10 or 15 seconds gives you time to put the phone down or pocket it.
A loud alarm.
The alarm sound at the volume you choose, then your volume goes back. The torch flashes and the phone vibrates too, if you turn them on.
Disarm with your screen lock.
Use the phone's own screen lock, in the app or from the notification. No screen lock? Startle asks you to set a 4 to 8 digit PIN first.
Honestly
What it can and can't do.
Sounds an alarm if someone moves your phone, takes it from your pocket or unplugs it. It can't stop a theft, track the phone or keep ringing if the phone is switched off.
Startle does
- Watches the trigger you choose while you have it armed, with a notification the whole time.
- Stays armed until you disarm it, or stops by itself after 30 minutes, 1 hour or 2 hours.
- Lets you test the motion level or the pocket sensor first. The alarm never rings in Test.
Startle doesn't
- It never arms itself, and doesn't arm again after the phone restarts.
- Anyone can switch the phone off or stop an app from Android's settings, so Startle is a loud alarm, not a lock.
- Pocket needs a proximity sensor, and some phones' proximity sensors are unreliable.
On the phone.
4 screens
Design mockups. The app on Google Play may differ in small details.
What Startle reads
Privacy, in plain words.
Motion, proximity and charger state are processed on the phone while Startle is armed, never stored or sent. If you set a PIN, it is stored as a hash on this phone only and is not backed up. Full privacy policy for Startle.
