New Emergency System Goes Live Oct 1, 2024!

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

The University of Waterloo is making a significant change by retiring the WatSAFE emergency notification app and replacing it with a new Emergency Notification System (ENS) platform provided by the company Regroup Mobile.

Regroup Mobile - which replaces Waterloo’s current WatSAFE system with a more streamlined solution - ensures the delivery of emergency notifications through a variety of channels, including text/SMS, voice calls, emails, social media, and desktop alerts. In addition to notifying users about potential threats or dangers, Regroup Mobile also issues “all-clear” notifications once threats are resolved, which showcases its reliability and effectiveness as a solution for safeguarding campus communities. Regroup Mobile was selected for its adaptable features, user-friendly interface, and suitability to the University of Waterloo’s unique organizational structure.

Beginning October 1, 2024, Regroup Mobile will be the sole emergency notification system at UWaterloo.

regroup app

Regroup is being implemented as part the University’s new Emergency Response Plan (ERP). The new ERP outlines various emergency situations and notification procedures, which Regroup Mobile will support.

Student and employee cell phone data has been integrated into the new Regroup system. It is recommended that members of the University of Waterloo community update their personal contact information in Quest, download the app, and opt into SMS notifications as soon as possible.

The new ERP was created following the hate-motivated attack at Hagey Hall last June 2023. Part of that Plan included an update to the University’s Emergency Notification System to ensure the rapid delivery of accurate messages about potential dangers and emergencies to on-campus members of the University of Waterloo community. For more information on Regroup and where to find the app, see the Emergency Notifications webpage.