FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WILL mySOS PANIC BUTTON WORK WITH MY TABLET OR IPAD?1

No, mySOS Panic Button is programmed to work with the mySOS emergency app on your smartphone.

WHAT IS REQUIRED OF MY PHONE TO USE THE mySOS PANIC BUTTON?2

iPhone 4s with iOS7 or later
Android handset with 4.3 or later
Bluetooth® 4.0
Airtime
An active data connection with data bundle

HOW DO I LINK MY PANIC BUTTON TO WORK WITH THE mySOS APP?3

In the mySOS app on your mobile phone go to Settings by pressing the settings icon  Then go to “My Panic Button”. Under the “STATUS”-heading click on “Tap to link”. Follow the on-screen instructions on your phone.

Alternatively you can go straight into the Panic Button settings by pressing the on-screen Panic Button icon  or 

THE PANIC BUTTON ICON CHANGES – WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?4

The Panic Button icon changes according to the Panic Button status. The meaning of each icon is as follows:

 No Panic Button has been linked to the mySOS app.

 Your Phone’s Bluetooth has been switched of and a Panic Button is not able to link to your mobile phone

 A Panic Button is linked to your mobile phone and within range of your mobile phone

 Your linked Panic Button is within reach of your phone and busy re-establishing the connection.

HOW DO I UNLINK MY PANIC BUTTON5

In the mySOS app on your mobile phone go to Settings by pressing the settings icon  Then go to “My Panic Button”. Under the “STATUS”-heading click on “Tap to unlink”. Follow the on-screen instructions on your phone.

Alternatively you can go straight into the Panic Button settings by pressing the on-screen Panic Button icon  under the “STATUS”-heading click on “Tap to unlink”.

mySOS PANIC BUTTON LOSES CONNECTION AND BLINKS CONTINUOUSLY6

You need to restart the mySOS Panic Button:Press and hold the button for 30 seconds
You will hear 2 beeps and see 2 red flashes
Unlink the Panic Button in the mySOS Emergency App
Link the mySOS Panic Button again by pressing and holding the button for more than 10 seconds (or until you hear a beep and see a green light flash)
Select the mySOS Panic Button on your app to link again

HOW DO I SWITCH OFF mySOS PANIC BUTTON? (E.G. YOU ARE GOING ABROAD AND WANT TO CONSERVE THE PANIC BUTTON BATTERY)7

Press and hold the button for 30 seconds
If Panic Button alerts were switched “ON” in the mySOS app then there will be a beep and flashes, but on about 30 seconds the button will beep 5 times (a sequence of 3 plus 2 beeps)
If Panic Button alerts were switched “OFF” in the mySOS app then the Panic Button will beep twice after about 30 seconds. The Panic Button will then switch off.

ARE THERE ANY MONTHLY COSTS?8

No, unless your emergency service provider e.g. armed response or neighbourhood security is also linked to the Panic Button. In this instance the relevant emergency service provider will charge for the added functionality.

WHAT IS THE BATTERY LIFE OF THE mySOS PANIC BUTTON?9

It can last up to a year. mySOS Panic Button uses a watch battery (CR2032) that can be replaced by the user or local watch repair shop.
The mySOS Panic Button was designed to be used in emergency situations only, the more you use it, the shorter the battery life will be.

WILL USING THE PANIC BUTTON DRAIN MY SMARTPHONE'S BATTERY?10

If your mySOS Panic Button and smartphone continuously lose connection and re-connect, it will drain battery faster on both the Panic Button and your smartphone. However, the usage (like all Bluetooth devices) will be minimal.

WHERE CAN I USE mySOS PANIC BUTTON?11

Anyone, anywhere in South Africa can use it, as long as you have mySOS downloaded and running on your smartphone. In fact, it works anywhere as long as you have an active data connection either through the GSM network (i.e. Edge, 3G, 4G or LTE) or through Wi-Fi.

HOW DO I CHANGE THE BATTERY?12

mySOS uses a very common type of battery (CR2032) and can be changed easily. We recommend that you go to a local watch repair shop.

CAN I USE THE mySOS PANIC BUTTON IN THE SHOWER?13

Yes. The Panic Button is waterproof up to 1meter.

HOW FAR CAN THE PANIC BUTTON BE FROM MY PHONE?14

Typically Bluetooth devices have a 10 meter (33ft) range. This is very dependent on interference and obstruction. Outside with line of sight, a range of up to 40 meters (132ft) can be achieved under ideal circumstances.

I CANNOT ENABLE FALL DETECT15

Fall Detect is in final stages of development. It will be launched shortly in a new app release. Please check back in the Panic Button settings regularly. The text “Fall detection” will be in black once available. It is currently not available and the text is grey.

WHAT WILL FALL DETECT DO?16

Fall Detect will send a signal to your mobile phone and start a 60 second countdown delay in the mySOS app. If the Fall Detect countdown timer is not cancelled within 60 seconds a Fall Detect emergency will be sent to all your emergency contacts i.e. the emergency you loaded under the settings in the mySOS app. You can load up to 5 of your own emergency contacts.

Depending on your profile a Fall Detect emergency might also be sent to your emergency provider. This function is subject to subscription by your service provider.

HOW DOES THE PANIC BUTTON DETERMINE MY LOCATION?17

The Panic Button only works with mySOS app installed on your iOS or Android smartphone. The Panic Button merely sends a signal to your smartphone when a position is required and the smartphone’s very accurate GPS is then used to establish your position.

WHY DOES MY PANIC BUTTON SOMETIMES BEEP AND FLASHES THE RED LED18

Note: The Panic button will only beep or flash if the option “Panic Button alerts” have been enabled in the “My Panic Button”-section under settings.

The Panic Button will beep and flash red when the connection to your mobile phone is lost. The moment the connection is re-established the Panic Button will beep again and the red LED will switch off automatically.

I DO NOT WANT MY PANIC BUTTON TO BEEP AND FLASH THE LED AT ANY TIME19

In the mySOS app on your mobile phone go to Settings by pressing the settings icon  Then go to “My Panic Button” and switch “Panic Button alerts” off.

I WANT MY PHONE TO NOTIFY ME WHEN IT LOSES CONNECTION WITH MY PANIC BUTTON20

In the mySOS app on your mobile phone go to Settings by pressing the settings icon  Then go to “My Panic Button” and switch “Phone alerts” on.

WILL mySOS NOTIFY ME IF THE BATTERY IN MY PANIC BUTTON RUNS LOW?21

Yes, the mySOS app will send you a push notification on your phone when the Panic Button battery runs very low. You can also check the remaining battery power under “My Panic Button” in Settings.

HOW DO I KNOW IF AN EMERGENCY WAS ACTIVATED WHEN I PRESS THE PANIC BUTTON?22

If Panic Button alerts were switched “ON” in the mySOS app, then the Panic Button will beep once and flash red. This means the button was pressed on the Panic Button. Next there will be another beep and the Panic Button will now flash red and green. This indicates that the Emergency was successfully activated in the mySOS app on the phone. Once the Emergency has communicated with the mySOS servers the following text will be displayed in a pop-up window in the mySOS app: “Emergency Activated: An emergency has been activated and your emergency contacts have been notified.”

If Panic Button alerts were switched “OFF” in the mySOS app then you will get no response from the Panic button itself. It will however clearly be visible in the mySOS app that an emergency was activated. The following text will be displayed in a pop-up window in the mySOS app: “Emergency Activated: An emergency has been activated and your emergency contacts have been notified.”

WILL THE PANIC BUTTON WORK IF I FORCE-CLOSE mySOS?23

No, mySOS must be running or running in the background. Your phone can be in standby-mode (i.e. screen switched off). It is important to note that the Panic Button is connected to the phone and the phone is connected to the internet.

I WANT TO LINK MY PANIC BUTTON BUT I DO NOT SEE ANY PANIC BUTTONS IN THE CONNECTION LIST24

Repeat the linking process and specifically note that the Panic Button must be pressed 10 second to switch it on. If this is still not working please replace the Panic Button battery.