Check up on your far away loved ones with this Winnipeg-based app

We live in a digital age now – people can live anywhere in the world while still working and seeing the faces of their loved ones at a moment’s notice.

However, what about when the camera is not on for those few hours a day? What happens if your loved one doesn’t have the time to text? Well, Winnipeg-based app developer and founder of Ilunga Technology, Victor Ilunga, has an easy one-click solution for you and your loved ones.

Named “I’m OK,” the app is a simple concept; a notification or message is sent to your phone, and the long-distance loved one can tell you that they are “OK” through the touch of a button. Once the button is touched, no emergency alerts are sent to your loved ones.

Now, “if you get annoyed by notifications daily,” as Ilunga quipped, you have options to have it sent every two or three days, more of an ‘are you still breathing at least’ check-in rather than a daily poke.

But what happens if you don’t respond in time? Well, the app will then send an alert to your designated emergency contact, along with the last known location from your last check-in. The good news for those who don’t like their location being shared is that this feature is optional, and you can turn it off.

In initial conversations, Ilunga explained to me that all of the location data shared with the app is kept local, which allowed them to make the location-sharing feature optional. However, I noticed there was no option to share your location with emergency services if you feel something is off. Ilunga acknowledged the feature hadn’t been thought of yet, and that it was a “good idea,” and that he was looking into it for a future update of the app.

For now, the app is launching on Android for strategic reasons, mainly due to competition, as the recently released Demumu: Are You Dead? app launched on Apple products first.

“When the app, [Demumu: Are You Dead?] came out, it was initially targeting the Chinese market. However, a couple of days later, I was watching the news and saw that it was coming to the U.S., but it was only targeting iOS users.”

Ilunga notes that the majority of all smartphone users are Android users, and Ilunga wanted to target that market.

“The mobile market, if you’re thinking globally, 70 per cent of [users] use Android, while the other 30 per cent use iOS,” Ilunga noted. “So, in a way, I was like, well, if [Demumu: Are You Dead?] is targeting the iOS market, why don’t I take the 70 per cent that doesn’t have an app, and make it better?”

The good news, though, for Apple users is that an iOS version of I’m OK is planned for the future.

On the topic of targeting the 70 per cent of Android users, I asked which languages would be added to the app beyond English and French (since it’s a Canadian app). Ilunga noted that languages such as Russian and Chinese (Mandarin) would be considered as potential options in the future. In a follow-up question, he noted that he was looking into countries where Androids are used most, with India at the top, and that he was considering adding some of India’s languages (Urdu, Hindi, etc.) once the app expands.

Interestingly, with subscription models being increasingly popular for service apps similar to I’m OK, Ilunga decided to take a different (and more traditional) route, instead choosing to list the app for $0.99

“I kind of find that model a little bit annoying, in the sense that sometimes I lose track of what I’m paying for, and then I check my bank account like, wait, where is this going?” Ilunga said. “A subscription model would feel almost predatory.”

Ilunga also wants to make users feel like they own the app, rather than simply paying to use it.

“People nowadays want to feel like they own something,” Ilunga said. “Giving you an app that I believe almost anybody could afford, it gives you peace of mind.”

If you want to download the app, you can check it out on the Google Play Store.