Strike First Guardian

Dating safety · for everyone who dates

Date with confidence. Stay safer.

Meeting someone new should be exciting, not uncertain. Strike First Guardian encourages smarter dating decisions by helping you prepare, stay aware, and make personal safety part of every date.

Get the free First-Date Safety Guide How the app helps

Safety isn't just for women or just for men. Anyone meeting a stranger from the internet deserves a plan.

A Strike First Guardian fake incoming call from Mom, with Decline and Accept buttons

Before, during and after

Eight habits for safer dating.

The same awareness we teach in our self-defense classes, applied to meeting someone new.

First-date safety

Plan the date so you stay in control of how you arrive, where you are, and when you leave.

  • Pick the place yourself, or agree on one you know.
  • Keep the first meeting short — coffee or a drink, not a full evening.
  • Tell a friend who, where and when before you go.

Meeting someone you don't know

Until you've met in person, you only know what they've chosen to show you.

  • Video chat before meeting to confirm they are who they say they are.
  • Search their name and photos; mismatched details are a reason to slow down.
  • Keep personal details — address, workplace, routine — to yourself for now.

Dating-app conversations

The way someone talks before the date tells you a lot about the date.

  • Keep chatting in the app until you're comfortable sharing a number.
  • Be cautious of pressure to move fast, meet somewhere private, or send money.
  • Use the app's report and block tools if anything feels off.

Meet in public

Choose busy, well-lit places with staff and other people around.

  • Avoid meeting at either person's home for early dates.
  • Sit where you can see the exits.
  • Keep your drink with you; if you leave it, order a new one.

A trusted-contact plan

One person who knows your plan — and knows what to do if they don't hear from you.

  • Share your date's name, profile and the location.
  • Agree on a check-in time and a code word that means "call me."
  • Agree what they'll do if you miss the check-in.

Getting there and home

Your transportation is your exit. Don't hand it to someone you just met.

  • Drive yourself, take a rideshare, or use transit — skip the pickup.
  • Check the license plate and driver before you get in a rideshare.
  • Don't let a new date follow you home or know where you're parked.

Warning signs

Your instincts are information. Notice when something doesn't add up.

  • Pushing you to drink more, change venues, or go somewhere private.
  • Ignoring a "no" — about anything, however small.
  • Anger, guilt-trips or sudden mood changes when you set a limit.

Personal boundaries

You never owe anyone more time, contact or explanation than you want to give.

  • Decide your limits before the date, not during it.
  • Say no clearly and early; you don't need a reason.
  • It is always okay to leave.

If a date turns uncomfortable

You don't have to be sure something is wrong to act. Leaving early is always the right call.

  • Excuse yourself and ask staff for help, or ask them to call you a ride.
  • Use a fake call or a text to your trusted contact as your exit.
  • Stay where there are people; don't go outside alone with them.

If you feel threatened

  • Call 911 if you are in danger. Strike First Guardian does not call 911 for you.
  • Move toward people, light and staff. Make noise. Your goal is distance and getting away — not winning a fight.
  • Alert your contacts so someone knows where you are.
  • Afterward, you can get confidential support 24/7 from the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) or RAINN (1-800-656-4673).

Strike First Guardian on a date

Your plan, in your pocket.

Strike First Guardian doesn't have a special dating mode — it doesn't need one. Here's how the tools you already have fit a first date.

  1. Before

    Add a trusted friend as an emergency contact

    They get your texts — no app needed on their end. Free

  2. Arriving

    Start a live location share

    Your friend can follow along from the moment you leave until you choose to stop. Free

  3. During

    Set a safety timer for when the date should end

    If you don't check in before it runs out, your contacts are texted automatically. Premium

  4. Need out?

    Trigger a fake incoming call

    A believable call with the name, photo and delay you choose — a clean excuse to step away. Premium

  5. Going home

    Use Walk Me Home to your car or door

    Your contacts follow along, and we check on you on the way. Premium

  6. In danger

    One tap to call or text 911, or alert your contacts

    Your contacts get a text with a map link to where you are. Free

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Free download

The First-Date Safety Guide

A two-page checklist you can save to your phone: what to do before, during and after a date, a trusted-contact plan to fill in, and the warning signs to watch for.

  • Before: research, a public place, your own ride, and a check-in plan.
  • During: boundaries, drink safety, warning signs and your exit.
  • After: getting home, checking in, and what to do if something happened.

Want the full walkthrough? Read First Date Safety Tips: A Self-Defense Instructor's Checklist.

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Don't wait for a reason to be prepared.

Make personal safety part of every date. Be first to know when Strike First Guardian is available on your phone.

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Free First-Date Safety Guide