VPNs and other tools worth installing before you go, curated for travelers visiting Sweden.
The official SOS Alarm 112 app is genuinely useful in Sweden because it sends location-relevant notices about fires, serious accidents, explosions, boating incidents and people in distress, carries public emergency announcements and can show coordinates to share. It does not replace an emergency call. Dial 112 directly for urgent police, fire, ambulance, air, sea or mountain rescue. The current iPhone listing identifies Swedish as the app's only interface language, so non-Swedish speakers should pair alerts with the English Krisinformation website or ask someone to interpret critical instructions. Allowing notifications and background location is required for the most relevant local alerts and has a privacy and battery tradeoff. Brandrisk Ute, called Fire Danger Outdoors in English, is a strong seasonal install for anyone camping, hiking, driving off road, grilling or lighting a fire. It is produced by Sweden's civil-defence authority, offers an English interface, uses SMHI data for hourly and multi-day fire-risk forecasts and links to local fire-ban information. Check it at the actual location immediately before any flame; conditions change, local bans override general access rights and some protected areas prohibit fires even without a broader ban. Neither app guarantees mobile coverage. Save the key phone numbers and carry offline maps and battery reserve. For non-urgent healthcare advice call 1177, or +46 771 1177 00 from a foreign-registered mobile; use 114 14 for non-urgent police matters and 113 13 for major-crisis information.
Official local incident and public-warning app with nearby alerts, important numbers and a map showing your coordinates.
Official English-capable fire-risk and fire-ban tool for camping, hiking, grilling and other outdoor activities in Sweden.
These apps need data
Guac eSIM covers Sweden with plans from $1.50 per GB. Install it before you land and activate instantly.
Check our utilities section for Sweden.
There are 2 utilities apps available in Sweden as of 2026.
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