Arrival Alarm vs Safe Zones:
Which One Should You Use?
Both features tell you someone reached somewhere. They're not the same thing, and using the wrong one for a given place leads to either too many alerts or not enough.
July 2026 · 5 min read
The Core Difference
A Safe Zone is a standing rule tied to a place — home, school, office — that fires every single time someone enters or leaves it, for as long as the zone exists. An Arrival Alarm is a one-time watch: you set it for a specific trip ("let me know when Amma reaches the hospital"), it fires once, and then it's done. Safe Zones are for places you care about permanently. Arrival Alarms are for a single journey you're following right now.
When to Use Safe Zones
Home, school, or office — anywhere someone arrives and leaves on a repeating, everyday basis
You want the alert automatically, every day, without having to set anything up again
You care about both directions — knowing when someone leaves a place matters as much as knowing when they arrive
When to Use Arrival Alarm
A one-off trip to a place that isn't on your regular list — a relative's house, a new office for an interview, a hospital visit
You only care about this single arrival, not a standing rule that keeps firing on future visits
You want it to clear itself automatically once the trip is done, instead of remembering to delete a zone later
Can You Use Both at Once?
Yes, and it's a common combination: keep a standing Safe Zone on home and school so those alerts run every day without thinking about it, and set a one-time Arrival Alarm on top for a specific trip you're following closely — a solo journey, a first day somewhere new, or a visit you just want confirmation on. They don't conflict; a place can have a permanent Safe Zone and still get a one-time Arrival Alarm layered on for a particular day.
A Quick Way to Decide
Ask: "Will I want this same alert again next week, for the same place?" If yes, it's a Safe Zone. If it's about one specific trip that ends today, it's an Arrival Alarm. Setting up a Safe Zone for a one-time trip means remembering to delete it afterward; using an Arrival Alarm for a daily routine means resetting it every single day. Matching the tool to the situation avoids both kinds of friction.