The Chirpie Link works as a loud personal alarm on its own, and it can also connect to your phone by Bluetooth to trigger your phone’s built-in Emergency SOS. Here’s how to set it up and what to expect.
Before you start
- Charge your Link with the USB-C cable. The small light turns green when it’s full.
- Set up Emergency SOS on your phone, including your emergency contacts. On iPhone this is in Settings > Emergency SOS, and your emergency contacts are in the Health app. On Android it’s usually under Settings > Safety and emergency, but the name varies by phone maker.
- Turn on Bluetooth on your phone.
Pair your Link with your phone
- Start pairing mode: hold the side button for 3 seconds until you hear a short beep.
- Open Bluetooth settings on your phone (Settings > Bluetooth).
- Select “SOS personal alarm” from the list. On Android, tap Pair when asked.
- Listen for the confirmation beep. Your phone’s Bluetooth menu will now show “SOS personal alarm” as Connected.
If you move out of Bluetooth range or turn Bluetooth off, the Link disconnects. When you’re back in range, it reconnects by itself and gives a short beep.
Using your Link
- Pull the pin to start the siren and flashing strobe. If the pin stays out for about 10 seconds, the Link triggers your phone’s Emergency SOS. Depending on your phone and its settings, your phone can then call emergency services and share your location with your emergency contacts. Push the pin back in to stop the siren.
- Silent SOS: press the side button 5 times quickly to trigger your phone’s Emergency SOS without the siren. Your phone’s own SOS may still make a sound.
- Torch and strobe: press the side button once for the torch, again for strobe, and a third time to turn the light off. It turns off by itself after 3 minutes. The side button does nothing while the siren is sounding.
- Turn the phone SOS off or on: press the side button twice quickly, then press and hold until you hear two beeps. This switches the Link’s phone SOS off, while the siren and light keep working. Do the same again to switch it back on.
Please don’t test the phone SOS for practice. It may really call emergency services. To check everything is ready, make sure “SOS personal alarm” shows as Connected in your phone’s Bluetooth settings, and that your phone’s Emergency SOS and emergency contacts are set up.
Which phones are compatible?
The Link is designed for iPhone 8 or later (iOS 12 or later) and Android 8.0 or later. No app is needed: it uses the emergency features already built into your phone.
Smartphone SOS integration depends on your phone’s manufacturer, model and current software version. Apple’s Emergency SOS and Google’s Emergency Location Service are built-in features controlled entirely by Apple and Google, and how a phone responds to the Chirpie’s trigger can change with operating system updates outside our control. On Samsung phones running One UI 6 or later, this trigger is unlikely to work while the phone is locked. Some phones may also have regional or carrier restrictions on emergency calling features. We test regularly across a range of devices, but we can’t guarantee this integration will work on every phone or every software version. The Chirpie’s personal alarm and strobe light always work independently of your phone, whatever its make, model or software.
Troubleshooting
“SOS personal alarm” doesn’t appear in my Bluetooth list
Hold the Link’s side button for 3 seconds until it beeps to start pairing mode, keep it close to your phone, and check again. If it still doesn’t appear, charge the Link fully and try again.
It stopped connecting after I charged it
After charging, hold the side button for 3 seconds to turn Bluetooth back on. It reconnects and beeps.
The siren works but my phone didn’t start Emergency SOS
- Check “SOS personal alarm” shows as Connected in your phone’s Bluetooth settings.
- Check Emergency SOS and your emergency contacts are set up on your phone.
- Make sure the pin stayed out for about 10 seconds.
- Check the phone SOS hasn’t been switched off on the Link (two quick presses, then hold, switches it back on).
- On Samsung phones running One UI 6 or later, the trigger is unlikely to work while the phone is locked.
The red light flashes 10 times
The battery is low. Charge your Link with the USB-C cable until the light turns green.
Still stuck? Email sales@chirpie.com.au or call 03 9588 0392 and we’ll help. You can also download the Chirpie Link instruction manual (PDF).