Just about everyone carries one object with them pretty much wherever they go – and that’s a cell phone. Even if you’re not a big fan of EDC – which I would ask you to reconsider, your cell phone can be your biggest ally in your EDC arsenal. It’s one of the most important survival tools that you can have on your person because there are so many different things that you can do with it. So today we’re going to run through 10 apps that should be on every prepper’s phone!
We’re going to break these down into the following categories: Communication, Survival Knowledge, and Survival tools.
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Communication Apps
Zello
So what is Zello? It’s called a PTT App – or Push To Talk app – like a walkie-talkie. Why is it among my favorite preparedness and survival apps? Unlike placing a cell call, Using Zello takes up much less bandwidth than a normal cell phone call does. While it still uses cell towers, it uses a different component of the cell tower than voice calls do. It’s a faster and more secure way to communicate with others – especially in an emergency.
A friend of mine gave me this analogy.
“An analogy to help explain it might be the carpool lane on the freeway. It’s technically using the same infrastructure, but it’s been designated for a restricted form of usage. If fewer people are using tech that qualifies under that restriction – even if the designated “lane” is smaller – it can provide people with that tech a way to zip past those who are getting jammed up on the main lanes. Up and until enough people know about it, plan for it, qualify, and fill that lane up just as much (as is likely to happen as such app gain in popularity, if they ever gain a proportional use). But for now! Zip through the carpool!”
How it has been used
Zello has been popular for some time, but it really hit headlines in 2013 when Turkish protestors used it to get around government censorship – making it the most popular app downloaded in Turkey during the first week of June 2013. In February of 2014, it was used for people to get information on the protests that were going on in Venezuela. In August of 2017, it was the most downloaded app during Hurricane Harvey. The Cajun Navy used it to coordinate rescue efforts.
If you are looking for a secure way to talk with those around you, I would strongly urge you to and your friends to consider Zello.
Police Scanner
Police Scanner by Logicord was rated #1 in connectivity by RatedRadarDetector.com. They rated it so highly because it’s very simple to use. It’s easy to find channels near you. But what sets this app even further apart is that you can listen in to channels from all across the world! So this is not a “US-only” or “Mostly-US” scanner app. This could be incredibly helpful if you have friends and family in different countries across the globe and you need up-to-date information on what’s going on overseas.
When we lived through the Ferguson riots – in addition to Twitter, we used police scanner apps to listen in on what officers in our area were saying. We could monitor conditions and see where the police were headed to.
Disaster Alert
Need news on that hurricane that is heading in your general direction? Live on a coast, and want to make sure you know if something like a tsumani strikes near where you are? Dark ominous clouds on the horizon and you’re concerned about a tornado? Live in wildfire country, and you want to know if one has started?
This app will alert you to any of these disasters or many others.
FM Radio
If disaster strikes and you don’t have an actual radio, you can use your phone as a radio. Emergency Alerts will go out via radiowaves, and having this handy app can keep you informed.
Survival Knowledge Apps 
Red Cross
Red Cross actually has several different apps that you can download to your phone. They have three that I recommend. The first one is Emergengy! American Red Cross. This app does several things for you. You can put in the locations of family and special friends. It will track these locations and alert you if there are any hazards or potential hazards in those areas. This app also has a handy disaster “how-to” section. You can scroll through different disasters and it will tell you what to do before, during, and after that type of emergency.
And most of us have come to expect First Aid from Red Cross. Yep, they have an app for that too! If you download the app, you’ll find different conditions and the steps that you – as someone who is helping a person who is hurt – can take.
Another Red Cross app is Pet First Aid! I mean most of us have thought about a First Aid app for people, but have you thought about getting one for your dog, cat, or other pet? It gives you basic stats on your animals – like what is a normal temperature for your pet and much more!
Plant identification – Pl@ntNet
Ever wonder what that plant that is taking over your yard is? Or maybe you’re on a walk and you want to identify an interesting plant. Or in our case, we have a brand new plot of land with a lot of new-to-us plants. We want to figure out what is growing so we know what to remove, what to keep, and what to move. All you would need to do is to take a picture of the plant and the app will identify it for you!
Pl@ntnet works with many different kinds of plants including, “flowering plants, trees, grasses, conifers, ferns, vines, wild salads or cacti.” So it works in all different kinds of environments. The other thing that is interesting about this app is that the pictures are sent to scientists around the world for study. So, it’s a win/win for all involved.
3D – Knots
Learning how to tie knots can be a fun pastime. I’ve worked with knots in the past, and learned how to tie many of them, but the problem I always felt was HOW do I know WHICH knot to use for what? Well, not only does 3D Knots teach you how to tie different types of knots, but it also teaches you which knots to use in different situations!
Offline Survival Manual
I have several books on my shelf that deal with survival topics. They will teach you how to build a shelter or start a fire. They can teach you how to set up a fire so that it won’t show the smoke so that you don’t give away your position. But those books are big and bulky. I certainly don’t travel with them in my van, but what if I needed them when I was out and something happened?
Well instead of carrying a big pile of survival books with me anywhere I go, I (and you) can download this Offline Survival Manual. Having this on your phone is really helpful, but what is more important is that it is completely downloaded to your phone. You do NOT need data or cell service to use this app. So if you’re in the middle of the woods, but you have your cell phone and the battery is still charged, you have a complete survival manual at your fingertips!
Survival Tool Apps
Flashlight ruddy rooster
Normally I wouldn’t even suggest a flashlight app. I mean – why would you? Most phones have their own flashlights. But as I was doing research for this article, I found the Ruddy Rooster flashlight app that does so much more than just turn on your phone’s light.
If you are stuck and you need to get someone’s attention, this app has a strobe feature. If you need to communicate with someone without using voice, it has a morse code feature! It has a hazard warning light feature. Not sure why you’d need it, but it also has a police light feature.
Open Signal
There are various features on this Open Signal app, but there is one that is potentially really important during an emergency situation – and that is the Cell Tower Compass. If you find yourself stuck in an unfamiliar area and your cell phone isn’t getting good reception, there is a cell tower compass that will tell you the direction of the nearest cell tower, so that you can head that direction in the hopes of being able to connect with someone to come help you or for someone to find where you are.
What About You?
Do you have any MUST HAVE survival or preparedness apps on your phone? What else would you include in this list? Are there any from this list that you would remove? Let us know in a comment below so that we can all be better prepared!
