Frequently asked questions

• Open the App-Elles app on your phone.
• On the main screen, tap the Menu button (bottom right).
• Then tap My Account.
• In the Email field, enter your new email address (double-check it).
• Tap Save (top right of the screen).
• You'll receive a confirmation email at your new address.
• Click the link in that email to validate the change.

Here's how to create a new one:

• On the App-Elles sign-in screen, tap Forgot password.
• You'll receive an email with a link to change your password.
• If you don't see the email, check your spam folder.
• Click the link in the email and choose a new password.
• Then try signing back in with your email address and the new password.

The App-Elles app works anywhere in the world. You can use it for free and send an alert regardless of the country you're in.

However, to show the right services for each region, we first need to work with local organisations and services so that the right information can be added to the app.

In the meantime, you can pick an area close to where you live. The services shown may not fit your situation, but the alert will still work normally.

To add protectors, your loved ones first need to install the App-Elles app on their phone and create an account.

If they don't have the app yet, you can send them an invitation to download it.

Once everyone has installed the app, created an account and confirmed their email, you can connect with each other.

To do this:

• open the app,
• go to the tab used to invite a protector.
• Enter the email address of the person you want to invite,
• then tap "Invite".

The person will receive a notification with your request. If they accept, they will automatically be added to your 3 trusted contacts.

In the App-Elles app, you can have 3 protectors and 3 protected users. This choice was deliberate.

When only a small number of people receive an alert, each one feels more accountable and readier to act quickly.

The same goes for the people you protect: if you get too many alerts at once, it can distract you and make your help less effective.

We know this limit can sometimes feel restrictive, but it keeps the system reliable and responsive.

These rules may change. We keep studying and improving them when needed.

The App-Elles app relies on a trusted-contacts system. You can only send an alert to people you have added in the app.

If you don't have any contacts yet, the alert will not be sent, but it will still be recorded automatically.

Even without contacts, the alert is kept inside the app. You can find it later in "Alert history".

In an emergency, you can always use the emergency-call buttons in the app, such as 112 or 114.

If you tap 114, an automatic text message containing your GPS position will be ready to send to emergency services.

We hope you'll soon find a trusted person willing to receive your alerts and help you if needed.

For the SOS button to work, the App-Elles app needs certain permissions on your phone. Without them, the button stays greyed out and can't be used.

The app must be allowed to:

• use the microphone (to record),
• know your location (to locate you),
• send notifications (to alert your contacts).

These permissions were requested the first time you installed the app. You may have declined them then, or your phone may have automatically disabled them after a long period of non-use.

Don't worry! You can re-enable them easily:

• Go to your phone settings,
• then Applications,
• choose App-Elles,
• go to Permissions,
• and allow access to the microphone, location, and notifications.

Once that's done, the SOS button will become active.

If you don't yet have any protector contacts, your alerts will still be recorded in the app (in "Alert history").

If you already have protectors, they will receive your alerts live, and you'll also find the recording in the history.

When the SOS button shows a crossed-out Wi-Fi symbol, it means your phone isn't properly connected to the Internet.

Every time you open the app, it automatically checks the connection. During that check, the SOS button may show this symbol. It only lasts a few seconds.

If your Internet connection is good, the SOS button becomes active again.

If you lose the connection during an alert (for example in a lift, a basement or an area with no network), the app keeps recording what's happening (audio and GPS position). As soon as the connection comes back, the data is automatically sent to your protector contacts.

Only the person who triggered the alert can request to download it.

The audio file will be sent to the email address linked to their App-Elles account.

To download an alert:

• Open the app, go to "Alert history",
• choose the alert you want to retrieve,
• then tap the download icon.

Alerts are kept for a maximum of 15 days.

After that period, they are permanently deleted to respect your privacy.

During those 15 days, you can replay or download the alert at any time from your account.

Yes, in some cases, your recordings can be used as evidence before a judge.

For example, if the recording helps prove an offence, a crime or an infringement, the judge may accept it. It is the criminal judge who decides whether the recording can be taken into account. They assess whether the recording is useful and reliable, even if it was made without informing the person recorded.

Since 2012, French courts have accepted that people record a situation without the other person's consent if it is to protect themselves or prove acts of violence. These recordings are not official evidentiary exhibits, but can serve as evidence in a trial.

Warning: You are not allowed to share these recordings on the Internet, on social networks or in the media.

They must not be made public, unless the court allows it. This protects the right to privacy of the people involved.

If you don't hear any sound when an alert arrives, it's most likely due to your phone's settings, not the App-Elles app.

Every phone handles notification volume and permissions differently. Here are a few simple tips:

On Android:

Check that the App-Elles app is allowed to send notifications.

• Go to Settings,
• then Apps,
• choose App-Elles,
• then Notifications.
• Enable everything, especially anything related to alerts.

Then check the notification volume:

• Go to Settings, then Sound & Vibration, then Volume.
• Turn up the volume of the "notifications" slider.

On iPhone (iOS):

• Go to Settings, then Sounds & Haptics (or just "Sounds").
• Turn up the volume under "Ringtone and Alerts".
• Also check whether "Do Not Disturb" is enabled.
• If it is (the toggle is green), tap to disable it.

Finally, check the app notifications.

• Go to Settings, then Notifications.
• Check that "Show Previews" is set to "Always".
• Then open App-Elles and check that notifications are allowed.

If you follow these steps, the sound of alerts should work normally.