Start here · 10 minutes

Getting started

From an empty phone to a fully armed account. Do all nine steps once and you never think about them again, but do them before you need them, not during.

Install the app

RapidShield ships as RapidShield on both stores. Search for it, or use the link your employer or estate manager sent you.

  • iPhone / iPad: App Store, iOS 13 or later.
  • Android: Google Play, Android 8 or later.

On first launch you get a three-card onboarding walkthrough: Instant Protection, Silent SOS & Tracking, Rapid Response. Swipe through it or tap Get Started to skip to the welcome screen.

System Inactive
Stay Safe,
Everywhere.
Silent SOS
Unnoticed alerts
Live Tracking
Real-time GPS
Create Account
I already have an account
AES-256 ENCRYPTED
Welcome screen. Create an account, or sign in if you already have one.

Create your account

Tap Create Account and fill the form. Nothing here is decorative. Every field is used during a real emergency.

  1. First and last name

    This is the name read out to the responder dispatched to you.

  2. Email address

    Your login, and where your OTP, receipts and account notices go. If your employer bought you a seat, use the work email they registered, otherwise the app will not link you to the corporate plan.

  3. Phone number

    Pick your country from the flag selector first, then enter the number without the country code.

  4. Password

    The rules are enforced live as you type. Your password must have:

    • at least 8 characters
    • one uppercase letter
    • one lowercase letter
    • one number
    • one special character: ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) , . ? " : { } | < >
  5. Referral code Optional

    If someone referred you, enter their code (for example JANE2025). It is validated as you type. A bad code is rejected before you can submit.

  6. Accept the terms

    Tick the box to accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Both are readable in full inside the app under Settings → Support.

Verify your email with an OTP

We email a one-time code the moment you submit. Type it into the OTP screen.

  • The code is time-limited. If the timer runs out, tap Resend.
  • Nothing arrived? Check spam, then confirm you typed your email correctly. You can go back and re-register with the correct address.

Once accepted you land on the Verified screen. Your account exists from this moment.

Save your SOS cancellation code

Write this one down

Right after verification the app shows your SOS cancellation code once, in a dialog. This is the code you type to call off a live emergency alert. If an attacker takes your phone, they cannot stop the alert without it.

Store it somewhere you can reach without the app: a password manager, a note in your wallet, or a trusted family member. If you lose it, contact support. You cannot recover it from inside the app.

Sign in with Google or Apple

You can skip the form entirely and tap Continue with Google or Sign in with Apple on the welcome screen.

Social sign-in still needs the details the one-tap flow skips, so the app shows a short Complete your profile screen asking for your phone number, an optional referral code and your acceptance of the terms. Your SOS cancellation code is shown on that same screen. Same rule as above: save it.

Grant the four permissions

Next comes the Set up your protection checklist. Each row explains exactly why the permission is needed and turns green once granted. This screen is the single biggest predictor of whether RapidShield works when you need it.

Location: allow all the time Required
Your position is what makes an alert actionable. "While using the app" is not enough: an alert raised from your pocket, or by Guardian Mode in the background, needs background location. If you pick the lesser option the row turns amber and reads Set to "All the time"; tap it to fix.
Microphone Required
Powers the live audio stream during an SOS, and is the sensor Guardian Mode listens through. Without it, an SOS still streams your location but the screen reads Microphone unavailable.
Notifications Required
Shows the 15-second countdown that lets you call off an automatic SOS, plus command-centre acknowledgements and responder updates. Deny this and Guardian Mode can dispatch without ever giving you a chance to stop it.
Camera Optional
Lets you attach photo and video evidence when you report an incident. You can grant it later, the first time you need it.

You can tap Skip for now and continue with a partly-armed account, but the app will keep nudging you, and features that need a missing permission will ask again at the moment you use them.

If you already denied a permission

Once a permission is permanently denied, the app can no longer ask, because the operating system blocks the prompt. Tap the row anyway and RapidShield sends you straight to the system settings page for the app, where you can flip it back on. See Troubleshooting → Permissions.

Add your emergency contacts

The last onboarding step is Who should we alert?: up to two trusted people we can reach on your behalf.

  • Primary contact: required. Full name, phone number, and relationship (Spouse, Parent, Sibling…).
  • Secondary contact: optional but recommended, in case the first does not pick up.

Tap Save & Continue. You can change them any time from Settings → Safety Configuration → Emergency Contacts.

Complete your profile

You are now inside the app. The Home screen shows a profile completion card with a percentage and a checklist of what is still missing:

  • Add a profile photo
  • Add an emergency contact
  • Add your home address
  • Add medical information

Tap any item to jump straight to the right field. The card is dismissible with the ×, but finish it first. See Profile & settings for what each field does.

Signing in again

On the sign-in screen enter your email and password and tap Secure Login. Google and Apple sign-in are available here too.

Below the form is a Staff Portals section with two entries: Emergency Personnel and Estate Security. Those are separate logins for dispatched responders and gate officers; ordinary members never need them. See Staff portals in the app.

Forgot password

  1. Tap "Forgot Password?"

    It sits under the password field on the sign-in screen.

  2. Enter your account email

    We send a reset link to that address.

  3. Open the link and set a new password

    The same strength rules apply as at sign-up.

Already signed in and just want a new password? Use Settings → Account → Change Password instead. It asks for your current password first.

You are set up when…

The shield on your Home screen reads Protection Active, all four permission rows are green, you have at least one emergency contact, and your cancellation code is saved somewhere outside your phone.