SimpliSafe Home Security App

Review by eFreeware

If you already own a SimpliSafe wireless security system, this app is the piece that makes it useful when you are not standing at the keypad. It puts arming and disarming in your hand from anywhere, which matters most when you are away from home and want to check on things or let someone in without driving back. The developer's own line is that you can control the system from anywhere in the world, and the app is free with no ads and no in-app purchases.

That combination is unusual enough to be worth stating plainly. Here the price of entry is simply owning the hardware. With over a million installs and a 4.5 average across roughly 33,000 ratings, it has clearly become a standard part of the SimpliSafe setup for a lot of households.

What I'd expect most people to reach for first is the daily loop: arm the system on the way out, disarm it when you pull into the driveway, and check the timeline when something nags at you. The app handles all three without much ceremony, and that is the right shape for this kind of tool.

Arming and disarming without the keypad

The core job is remote control of the system itself. Arming and disarming from the app means you are not tied to the panel by the door, which is handy if you leave in a hurry, if you are already in bed and forgot, or if a neighbor needs to get in while you are out. For anyone who travels, that last one is the practical difference between a system you manage and a system you hope is doing the right thing.

I'd expect this to suit people who want a quick confirmation rather than a dashboard of settings. The app is built around the few actions that come up again and again, and the developer keeps the scope there. If your interest is in tinkering with sensors or building automations, that is a different kind of product; what this one does is put the everyday controls where you can reach them.

Notifications and the activity timeline

Instant notifications are the second reason to keep the app installed. You set them so the system tells you when something happens, which turns your phone into the place where you find out rather than the panel you walk past. For a household where people come and go at different hours, that is the feature that earns its keep.

The timeline runs alongside it, showing what has happened in a running record. I like that the two work together: the notification gets your attention, and the timeline is where you go to see the sequence afterwards. It is the sort of thing that is easy to take for granted until you actually need to check when a door opened or when someone armed the system.

Both features are part of the same package rather than separate tools. The developer describes the timeline as up to the minute, which is the standard you would want from a security app.

Live video if you have a SimpliSafe camera

If your setup includes a SimpliSafe camera, the app lets you watch live video and capture it. That turns a quick check into something more concrete: you can look at a room or an entryway while you are away and keep a clip if you need one. The camera is the prerequisite here, so this part of the app only applies to households that have added one.

For those who have, it rounds out the picture nicely. Arming tells you the system is on, notifications tell you something happened, and video shows you what it was. I'd expect that combination to be the reason many people open the app at all when they are traveling or working late.

The rest of the app is deliberately narrow, and that is worth understanding before you install it. This is a companion for a SimpliSafe system, not a standalone security tool, and everything it does flows from that.

A companion app for SimpliSafe owners

That is generally what you want from something tied to hardware in your home: stability over novelty.

It fits best with people who already run a SimpliSafe system and want the controls on their phone rather than only at the panel. If you have a camera in the mix, so much the better, since live viewing and capture are part of what the app offers.

My recommendation is straightforward: if you own the hardware, install the app and set up your notifications early, because that is where most of the value sits. If you are shopping for a security system, this app is not the thing to evaluate on its own; it is the remote control for a system you would buy separately.

What's new in version 8.8.0

Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements