Go further with peace of mind.
How It Works
Three steps. Complete peace of mind.
You stay in charge of your journey. Your inner circle is only brought in if you don’t return when you said you would.
Outline Your Journey
Log the vital details of your plan: where you’re going, your estimated return time, the number of people in your party, and the essential gear you have with you. A complete plan gives Search & Rescue a massive head start if things don't go as expected.
Designate Your Contacts
Select trusted emergency contacts from your network who will act as your safety net if you lose cell service or face an unexpected delay.
Check In When Safe
When you return, simply close out your activity with a tap. If you miss your check-in deadline, a custom grace period triggers before your contacts are automatically alerted with your last known details.
Why BackBy
Engineered for reliability. Built for the unexpected.
Built around your return time
You define exactly when you’re due back. The system keeps timing and notifications perfectly aligned with your schedule, putting you in complete control.
Confirmed safety network
Your contacts must explicitly accept your request before they can receive alerts. You’ll always know exactly who has your back before you step off the grid.
Text messages when it matters
Clean, direct text alerts handle safety updates and verification instantly-with zero marketing, zero spam, and no extra noise.
Search & Rescue optimized
By logging your party size and essential gear up front, you eliminate critical blind spots. If an emergency happens, SAR teams get the exact data they need to find you faster.
Explore freely. Leave worry behind at the trailhead.
Automatic check-ins and emergency alerts, so you stay immersed in the backcountry while the people who matter most stay at ease.
Your first adventure is completely on us.
Set your route, name your trusted contacts, and experience true peace of mind before you spend a dime. No credit card required.
Unlimited peace of mind for every adventure - and everyone waiting at home. All for less than a cup of coffee a month.
- AnnualBEST VALUE$49.99 / year$4.17/monthSave 16%
- Monthly$4.99 / month
- Create and manage your activities
- Choose your safety contacts
- Automatic alerts if you don't check in
- Extend or finish your activity from your phone
- No live location tracking required
Your first completed activity is free.
No credit card required to try BackBy.
$49.99 / year or $4.99 / month. Annual is the best-value option. Choose a plan later in the app after your first free activity.
FAQ
Common questions
Quick answers about how BackBy works and what to expect.
What is BackBy?
BackBy is a smart safety check-in app designed for hikers, travelers, solo adventurers, and anyone on the move. You simply log your activity, set an expected return time, and choose your trusted contacts. If you don't check in by your deadline, BackBy automatically alerts your contacts with your activity details.
Note:BackBy is not a live-tracking app. It's a privacy-first, set-and-forget safety net that only steps in if you don't return when planned.
How does it work?
Getting started is simple and takes less than a minute:
- Set up: Create an activity plan, log your expected return time, and add important activity details like your specific route, trailhead, or gear. Then, select your emergency contacts.
- Initial Notification:Your chosen contacts receive a text letting them know they've been selected as an emergency contact for your upcoming activity. No action is required from them unless they receive a follow-up alert because you missed your check-in.
- End Activity:When you return safely, just tap “End Activity” in the app.
- Automated safety:If your timer expires, a pre-configured grace period begins with urgent reminders sent to your phone. If you still don't check in, your contacts are instantly and automatically alerted with your activity details.
- Go hands-free: No data? No problem. You can manage your active trip entirely via SMS using quick commands like
FINISH,EXTEND, orSTATUS.
Why do you use text messages?
SMS is our fallback for critical safety updates because text messages often go through even when mobile data and internet connections fail.
- Purely functional: We only use text messages for reminders, emergency alerts, and system confirmations.
- Zero spam: You will never receive marketing messages or spam from us.
- Email backup: We may also use email to send your contacts comprehensive activity details during an alert.
What if I lose reception or forget to check in?
- If you lose reception: SMS requires much less signal than cellular data, so your text commands may still work.
- Satellite SMS:Many modern smartphones now feature built-in satellite capabilities. Because BackBy supports text-based commands, you can use your phone's native satellite texting to send
EXTENDorFINISHmessages even when completely off the grid. - If you have no signal at all: If you lose connection entirely, our servers keep running the timer. Because the system is cloud-based, it will still automatically alert your contacts when your grace period ends, even if your phone is dead, broken, or offline.
- If you forget to check in:We don't sound the alarm immediately. Your activity enters a pre-configured grace period, during which we will send multiple reminders to your phone.
Is BackBy an official emergency service?
No. BackBy is a peer-to-peer notification tool, not a replacement for 911, search and rescue, or official emergency services.
We cannot guarantee message delivery, cellular network availability, or emergency response times.
In a life-threatening situation or immediate emergency, always contact local emergency services directly.
About Us
BackBy was founded on a simple belief: exploring the outdoors or embarking on everyday adventures shouldn’t mean leaving peace of mind behind.
In the backcountry, a clear plan is the single most valuable safety tool available. We built BackBy to turn that plan into an active, dependable safety net. By replacing complex, invasive tracking with a streamlined, time-based check-in system, we empower hikers, groups, and outdoor enthusiasts to stay in complete control of their journeys while ensuring their trusted network is seamlessly informed when it matters most.
Our philosophy is straightforward: you deserve to explore on your own terms, and your loved ones deserve to know there is a solid plan in place if timing goes wrong. No noise, no unnecessary background tracking-just highly reliable, privacy-first safety check-ins designed to ensure that whenever you head out, you always have a clear way back.
The Team Behind the Plan
BackBy was founded by tech leaders and outdoor enthusiasts Shai Simchi and Eyal Drori. Driven by Shai’s firsthand experience navigating high-altitude alpine objectives, they recognized a critical gap in the way backcountry trips are coordinated with loved ones. Leveraging their shared expertise in scaling dependable technology platforms, Shai and Eyal built BackBy to deliver a precise, elegant safety check-in system that gives outdoor enthusiasts-and their safety nets-complete peace of mind.