You never know when life will strike. You could be out driving only to find that the route you plotted has taken a nasty detour, or maybe you’re out and about when you suddenly wonder if you activated the home security system. Maybe the unthinkable has happened and you have lost your iPhone in public. For all of life’s little pinches, there are apps, like contingency plans, that can help get you out of trouble.

Most are free and easy enough to find. You’ll just want to make sure you have a decent enough wireless connection. That can be rectified by taking a trip over to internet.clear.com. Without a good wireless connection, some of these apps might take a while to download. Below are just a few of the apps I’m talking about:

Find My iPhone by Apple – Free

If you are like most iPhone users, you use your phone for a lot of different things and a lot of information gets stored on that handy little device. Perhaps, information that you would hate to have fall into the wrong hands? With the Find My iPhone app, you can pinpoint the location of your missing device through the use of another iOS device. That’s not all. You can also remotely play a sound, lock the device or purge it of all its data.

ADT Pulse ™ Interactive Solutions by ADT Security Services, Inc. – Free

If you are an ADT customer and you are subscribed to the Pulse plan, then this is the app you ought to be carrying around. I mean, how many times have you been out in a store or at a restaurant when the usual questions pop into your mind? “Did I remember to turn on the security system?” “Did I lock the doors?” When you get into a daily ritual of locking doors and activating security, you start to do it without even thinking about it. This app can at least give you some peace of mind by allowing you to remotely arm or disarm your system as well as even giving you a live video feed of the home.

MapQuest by AOL Inc. – Free

There is nothing worse than being on the road and being lost – especially when all the daylight is used up. This app not only gives you clear and concise turn-by-turn directions, it also provides you with an interactive and easy-to-follow map. You can also search for roots to specific things on the road such as gas stations, hotels and restaurants. And the app is being updated all the time ensuring that your navigation is always up-to-date.

What do these three apps all have in common? Aside from being free?
You’ll be glad that you have them whenever your luck decides to change.