Police scanner app downloads spike in civil unrest
Downloads of "Scanner Radio - Fire and Police Scanner" increased 23-percent
U.S. smartphone users are downloading police scanner apps in record numbers amid protests taking place across the country in the wake of George Floyd's murder, according to mobile-app data analysis website Apptopia.
These apps allow users to listen in on live audio from police and fire scanners, listen to air and marine traffic audio, see scanners located nearby and new scanners, get breaking news alerts, crime wave alerts and more.
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Police arrest protesters refusing to get off the streets Tuesday, June 2, 2020, in New York, during an imposed curfew while marching in a solidarity rally calling for justice over the death of George Floyd. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
The top six apps with the largest spike in downloads, according to Apptopia, are:
- Scanner Radio - Fire and Police Scanner (Google Play)
- Police Scanner (Google Play and App Store)
- 5-0 Radio Pro Police Scanner (App Store)
- 5-0 Radio Police Scanner (App Store)
- Police Scanner Radio & Fire (App Store)
- Police Scanner + (App Store)
"Scanner Radio -- Fire and Police Scanner" on Google Play, which is the same app as Police Scanner Radio & Fire in the App Store, was downloaded on Google Play 37,316 times on June 1 compared to 8,614 times on May 22, which is a 23-percent increase. And downloads increaded 5-percent during the same time in the app store.
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Police Scanner was downloaded 108,912 times on June 2 compared to 13,483 downloads on May 22 -- a 12.3-percent increase. And downloads of 5-0 Radio Pro Police Scanner, which costs $5 to install, spiked 9.5 percent from 158 on May 22 to 1,657 on June 2. Downloads of the free version of the app increased 3-percent. Police Scanner+ downloads increased 5 percent.
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Scanner Radio and Police Scanner Radio & Fire feature breaking news alerts, the ability to view more than 7,000 nearby and global scanners, flag specific scanners, get alerts for scanners and use CarPlay support.
Police Scanner offers feeds from Chicago Police Zone 10; Portland Police and Multnomah County Sheriff Dispatch; Cleveland Police Dispatch and Metro Housing Authority; Buchanan County Sheriff and EMS; St. Joseph Police/Fire; Frenso City Police, Fire and EMS; Springfield Police and Fire; and Greene County Sherriff and Fire.
Users can search for keywords on scanners using the Police Scanner app and see the number of other people listening in on the same scanner feeds. The app also includes an "in-app police, fire and emergency codes alphabet" and "on-hand books for citizens to understand what situation the police are referring to without any training."
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The other apps offer similar features: 5-0 Radio Police Scanner offers alerts from everything from pandemics to natural disasters to terrorism and crime. It touts itself as the "largest collection of live police, firefighter, aircraft, railroad, emergency, news and ham radios" in its app description. Police Scanner + has more than 40,000 scanners available for free, and users can chat with each other over the app, according to its description.
Some protesters and reporters have been using the apps to stay informed about potential military intervention and hold police accountable for violent or discriminatory speech. One reporter posted audio of a New York police officer that appeared to say, "Shoot the motherf***ers," in response to another officer saying protesters were blocking traffic.