Startle: Anti-Theft Alarm

Moonlet Labs

Contains ads

About this app

Startle is an anti-theft alarm from Moonlet Labs. It sounds an alarm when the phone is moved, taken from a pocket or unplugged. Arm it before you leave your phone on a café table, charging in a shared room or in your pocket on a crowded train, and a loud alarm goes off if someone moves it.

Sounds an alarm if someone moves your phone, takes it from your pocket or unplugs it. It can't stop a theft, track the phone or keep ringing if the phone is switched off.

Three triggers
Motion: the alarm sounds if the phone is moved or picked up. Set the sensitivity in five steps.
Pocket: put the phone in your pocket during the countdown, and the alarm sounds if it's taken out. Pocket uses the proximity sensor, so it isn't offered on phones without one, and some phones' proximity sensors are unreliable.
Charger: the alarm sounds if the charger is unplugged. Plug the phone in before you arm it.

Arm it in seconds
Tap the Arm button in the app or the Quick Settings tile. A countdown of 5, 10 or 15 seconds gives you time to put the phone down or pocket it, then Startle is armed. The screen can turn off while it watches. It stays armed until you disarm it, or stops by itself after 30 minutes, 1 hour or 2 hours. If notifications are on, a notification shows the whole time.

A loud alarm
The alarm uses the alarm sound at the volume you choose and puts your volume back afterwards. If you turn them on, the torch flashes and the phone vibrates too. It rings until you disarm it, or for 1, 3 or 5 minutes, and then Startle stays armed. If Do Not Disturb blocks alarms, the torch and vibration still run if they are on.

Disarm with your screen lock
Disarm with the phone's own screen lock, in the app or from the notification's Disarm button. If your phone has no screen lock, Startle asks you to set a 4 to 8 digit PIN before you arm it the first time.

Test it first
The Test screen shows the live motion level against your sensitivity line, or whether the pocket sensor reads near or far, so you can set it up for your table or your pocket. The alarm never rings in Test.

What it can't do
Startle only watches while you have it armed. It never arms itself and doesn't arm again after the phone restarts. Anyone can switch the phone off or stop an app from Android's settings, so Startle is a loud alarm, not a lock. Some phones close apps in the background to save battery; the battery help explains what to change.

Privacy
Motion, proximity and charger state are processed on the phone while Startle is armed, never stored or sent. If you set a PIN, it is stored as a hash on this phone only and is not backed up. No account needed, and Startle works offline. The app is ad-supported: ads appear only on the home screen while Startle is not armed, and are served by Google AdMob, which may use the advertising ID. Moonlet Labs collects crash reports and usage analytics through Google Firebase, linked to pseudonymous app identifiers rather than your name or email; they never include sensor readings. Where the law requires it, the app asks for your consent first, and privacy choices are in Settings. Privacy policy: moonletlabs.com/privacy.html

What’s new

First release of Startle from Moonlet Labs. An anti-theft alarm that sounds when the phone is moved, taken from a pocket or unplugged. Arm it from the app or the Quick Settings tile, and disarm it with your phone's screen lock.