SafeCY app upgraded to send urgent alerts, 170,000 downloads so far

Apart from using SafeCY to find the nearest bomb shelter, people will now be notified on their phones through the app of an imminent danger at the moment it appears and urged to take cover, the interior ministry and deputy digital policy ministry announced on Wednesday.

So far, over 170,000 people have downloaded the app – available at Google Play and Apple Store – on their phone.

SafeCY has now been upgraded to include the push notification new feature, which allows Civil Defence to send messages simultaneously to all app users or a group of users in a specific area as necessary.

All users will be able to see the alerts sent for their own information, even if they do not concern them directly.

The authorities called on all smartphone users to install the app or update it if already downloaded.

They furthermore urged users to allow notifications and the use of the app “always” when prompted.

For support regarding the app, users can call 1450, selecting 3 for the deputy digital policy ministry and then 5 for information regarding SafeCY.

In case of an urgent alert, people are called on to follow Civil Defence instructions, move to a basement where available or stay indoors and away from windows until further notice.

Deputy Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Minister Nicodemos Damianou said enhancing urgent alert mechanisms and effectively protecting the people was a top priority for the government.

Doing so, he said, “demands the use of technology”.

He added that SafeCY alerts would be sent out separately from the SMS warnings sent to telephony subscribers and could target specific geographical locations under threat.

“All app users, either within or outside the affected area, will be able to see all alerts sent out on the app for comprehensive information purposes,” Damianou said.

He reminded that the main means for warning people of an emergency was the wailing of sirens.

With the new app, he added, “a multilayer mechanism to inform the population is created, which did not exist till now, and maximises our ability to inform as many people as possible in time”.

Meanwhile a new, parallel alert system for emergencies, based on cell broadcasting technology, is expected to be up and running in early June, he added.

Damianou thanked the deputy ministry’s associates at the University of Cyprus Koios centre of excellence for responding to the request to upgrade the app.

“The government remains dedicated to the aim of continuously enhancing the mechanisms to inform the people, with the aim of better managing every crisis and more effectively protecting society,” he said.