'Companion' App Allows Friends To Virtually 'Walk You Home'

There seems to be an app for everything these days. The Companion app exists to be just that for students.

Many college students have night classes and late night study sessions, but that walk back home in the dark can be dangerous. So the Companion app allows users to invite friends to virtually walk home with them. The app sends a text with a map that tracks where you are, and where you're going.

If Companion senses that you drop your phone or speed up, it sends an alert to ask if you're okay. If you don't respond within 15 seconds, an alarm will sound, and it will give you and the friend tracking you the option to call police.

"I’ve been on different school campuses before where they have those lights that you can push, but I think this would be more effective because people would know specifically where you're going. Because if something did happen, you could alert them right away," said Ashley Woodruff, a college student.

Companion said their next step is to partner with campus police departments across the country. That would allow schools to access data about where students feel most nervous and allow the app to send calls directly to campus police instead of through a 911 dispatcher.