SwitchBot’s new safety tracker can discreetly trigger a fake phone call

SwitchBot is expanding its already diverse line of smart home offerings with a new tracking fob that doubles as both a personal safety device and a quick way to gain entry to your home.

SwitchBot’s Safety Alarm looks like a keychain flashlight and even has LEDs when you need some extra illumination and don’t want to reach for your smartphone. The device is available starting today for $39.99 in black, white, and aqua color options, but you can save 99 cents when buying a two-pack. Most of the time, it works as an NFC key for SwitchBot’s smart locks and can send “home arrival” notifications once you’re in Bluetooth range, letting family members know you’ve safely returned.

In an emergency, however, you can also remove the Safety Alarm’s short keychain with a yank, which triggers a few things. That LED becomes a flashing strobe light and is accompanied by a very loud 130dB audible alarm. When a connected phone is nearby, an alert is also automatically sent to up to five friends and family members that includes the last known location of the tracker when the alarm was activated, but not live-tracking.

If you’re not feeling safe but don’t feel the situation is urgent enough to activate the alarm, discreetly double-pressing a button on the Safety Alarm will trigger a “virtual phone call” that you can pretend to answer, which could act as a deterrent. It will ring even if your smartphone is in silent mode, the company says.

A variety of personal safety smartphone apps offer a fake phone call feature, and the SwitchBot Smart Alarm isn’t as compact or discreet as alternatives like Pebblebee’s Clip tracker, which recently added new personal safety features. But Switchbot’s will potentially provide more peace of mind with an alarm that’s over 30dB louder than the Pebblebee’s.

Pebblebee’s Clip is $34.99, and has the extra flexibility of being trackable with either Apple’s Find My network or Google’s Android Find Hub, while SwitchBot’s new Safety Alarm is only trackable through Apple’s network. Pebblebee also offers an optional subscription service ($2.99 / month or $24.99 / year) called Alert Live, which adds extra safety features like sharing your real-time location with a group of trusted people when triggered.

The Safety Alarm is IP65 water- and dust-resistant, so a heavy downpour won’t be an issue but it may not survive a complete dunking. It will run for about a year on a pair of user-replaceable CR2032 batteries or up to two years if not using the Apple Find My functionality.

Correction, October 16th: An earlier version of this article misstated the name of Pebblebee’s subscription service. It’s called Alert Live. Pebblebee’s Clip is also priced at $34.99, not $50, as previously stated.