Develop an App in Catalonia to Call for Help When You Are in Danger

In 2019, Roger Ayala and Adam El Messaoudi, two teenagers from Manresa, experienced an assault on the street that marked a turning point in their lives. That experience, which they describe as "traumatic," led them to imagine a tool they themselves would have needed at that moment: a quick and effective way to ask for help. Years later, the idea has materialized into WardUs, a free personal safety app that has just been presented at the Mobile World Congress.

A Technological Response to a Real Problem

WardUs allows the user to send an emergency alert with just the press of a button or through a voice command. The notification is automatically sent to the pre-designated trusted contacts and, if desired, also to other app users nearby. At the same time, the phone's camera activates to live stream what is happening, making the app a potential source of evidence.

But WardUs's functionality goes further. One of its distinguishing elements is a risk map, which informs the user of neighborhoods or areas with a higher danger index in any municipality in Spain. This system is powered by a proprietary algorithm based on official crime data and also allows for the generation of safe routes according to the user's location and destination.

Civic Technology Born at the University

Both developers, students of the dual degree in Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Barcelona, have worked for years on the app while pursuing their studies. It was in an economics course where they decided to take the entrepreneurial step: they completed the development, registered their own company, and in November 2024 published the app on iOS and Android stores.

The project has been supported by StartUB!, an incubator at the University of Barcelona for entrepreneurs, which has provided mentoring and support in key tasks such as marketing. Thanks to this collaboration, WardUs has had a presence at the Mobile World Congress, one of the world's main technology showcases.

Building Community to Save Lives

The creators of WardUs are clear that the app's success depends on more people joining the network. "The more users there are, the more likely it is that someone can help you if you're in danger," they explain to Regió7. Looking to the future, they plan to continue improving the app, expand its user community, and work with companies to incorporate complementary devices, such as smart bracelets that automatically activate the alert in critical situations.

In a context where urban insecurity and the perception of danger are recurring topics, WardUs presents itself as a citizen tool born from personal experience and a commitment to useful technology. Unlike so many other digital developments, this app doesn't seek to entertain but to protect.