In today’s digital age, one of the most important gadgets that we have is our phones. We bring our phones with us almost all the time and we usually use them to send messages, take pictures, check our emails, and play games. However, we can also use our phones in an emergency situation. There are tons of survival apps out there that you can download, you can get these apps for free or you can buy them.
Some of these apps can only be useful if cell services, emergency services, and GPS are running and we all know that when a disaster strikes, these services can go down. Luckily, a lot of these survival apps will still run without connecting to the internet or have cell service to run them. Some of these apps are informational and are useful in learning different survival skills such as learning how to tie different knots and learning how to do CPR.
All of these apps require phone battery for you to be able to use them. Electricity can also go off when a disaster strikes, and if there’s no electricity, you won’t be able to recharge your phone. In this case, consider buying a solar charger or a solar generator.
1. Army Survival Guide
Platform: iOS
Cost: $1.99
The Army Survival Guide app is a complete survival guide based on the U.S. army manuals. The app contains over 1,400 pages and it provides information on basic survival, first aid, and evasion.
2. First Aid – American Red Cross
Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: FREE
This app features detailed and step-by-step first aid instructions, videos and animations. It also has an integrated 911 feature, safety pointers and a hospital locator. This app doesn’t require an Internet connection to be used except for some features, like calling 911.
3. Knots 3D
Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: $1.99
This app contains more than 100 knots in 3D. You can easily learn how to tie different knots as the app provides animation for showing how to tie the knots. Also once the app is downloaded, you don’t have to be connected to the Internet to use it.
4. Wild Edibles
Platform: iOS, Android
Price: $4.99 for Android, $5.99 for iOS
Use this app to identify which plants are edible and which are not, you can also use this app to learn about plants with medicinal properties.
5. Smart Compass
Platform: Android
Cost: FREE
For any survivalist, hiker, or camper, learning the basics of orientation is a must. You should be knowledgeable about how to use a map and a compass. While the physical compass is an important and helpful tool for you to find out your direction, the Smart Compass app is also a one helpful tool. This app has more features than any physical compass. The Smart Compass app also features an augmented reality display.
6. Scanner Radio
Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: FREE
To use this app, you have to be connected to the Internet. It allows you to listen in on the radio chatter of more than 5,000 emergency fire and police services. The app also features amateur radio repeaters and weather radio broadcasts.
7. SAS Survival Guide – Lite
Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: FREE
The SAS Survival Guide – Lite app contains a plethora of survival information with photos and videos. The app also features survival checklist and quizzes which are helpful in testing your survival knowledge. You may also search for different subjects using keywords.
8. SAS Survival Guide
Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: $5.99
This app is based on the best-selling book of the same name. The app features a complete guide to wilderness survival including basic information, a guide to knife skills, and a survival checklist. It also includes a number of tools like the text-to-morse encoder and a sun compass. The app doesn’t require a connection for you to be able to use it. Once you’ve downloaded the app, the package will install everything on your phone. You can download the lite version of the app for free, or you can get the paid version which has more content.
9. Google Drive
Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: FREE
Google Drive is a useful app for storing your backups. While it is best to keep hard copies of your passport, ID, and important documents, it is also best to have soft copy backups for these.
10. HERE WeGo – Offline Maps & GPS
Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: FREE
Unlike Google Maps, this app doesn’t require an internet connection for you to be able to use it. Also, you can use this app without it knowing where you are at all times. With this app, you can download a copy of a very large local area and store it on your phone. You can also do this with Google Maps, but the HERE WeGo app is easier to use and it is more user-friendly.
11. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: FREE
This app contains interactive checklist for emergency supplies and information on how to survive disasters.
12. ViewRanger GPS
Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: FREE
The ViewRanger GPS app features a complete offline access to maps, navigation and trails. The app also has stored information on more than 10,000 routes and trails and aerial images. Another good feature of this app, is that it allows you to see if you are off your route or what type of terrain you are heading towards.
13. MotionX GPS
Platform: iOS
Cost: $1.99
You can use this app to download maps of any location around the world even without having to connect to the internet. This app also has a tracking feature which keeps you from getting lost.
14. Pet First Aid by American Red Cross
Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: FREE
Our pets also need medical attention. The Pet First Aid app by the American Red Cross has features such as step-by-step instructions for everyday emergencies, how-to videos, and you can use it to locate the nearest emergency vet hospital.
15. BootPrint – Pocket Survival
Platform: iOS
Cost: $0.99
The BootPrint app works by keeping track of the strongest cell tower as you travel. If ever you got lost while travelling, use this app and it will locate where the last cell tower was and it will guide you back to it.
16. Dropbox
Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: FREE
Just like Google Drive, Dropbox is a useful app for storing your backups.
17. Kindle
Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: FREE
Kindle is a great app for you to use in building your library of survival books. Use this app to save your emergency preparedness information and survival guides in PDF files.
18. Weatherbug
Platform: iOS, Android
Cost: FREE
One of the most popular weather apps, the Weatherbug app lets you find out what’s happening with the local weather in real time.
