AN APP, dubbed 'Uber with guns', for giving users access to on-demand bodyguards has shot through the Apple App Store chart. Protector, which launched late last year, is now the third highest ranking free iOS app after going viral online. The platform lets wealthy users book armed guards, made up of a crew of either active duty or former military or law enforcement officers, for at least five hours. In talking-head-style marketing clips on Protector's X page, the armed guards describe histories in SWAT teams and war zones.
![[Screenshot of iPhone showing the top travel apps, including Uber, Airbnb, and Protector—an app for booking armed security agents.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/02/nikitabier-last-months-i-ve-973288056.jpg?strip=all&w=677)
Users can select how many 'protectors' they want in their booking, and whether they want to be joined by a motorcade for an extra beefed-up presence. The number of sleek, black Escalades that will join them is also selected by the user. Customers can even pick the dress code of their 'protector': from tactical casual to a more armoured look. Unlike Uber, Protector is currently only available in two cities in the US, New York City and Los Angeles.
![[App Store screenshots for the Protector app, showing features such as booking armed agents in NYC and LA, choosing uniform styles, and details about the agents' credentials.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/02/protector-book-armed-agents-app-973288207.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
It is also not yet available for Android devices. It looks like the app is trying to appeal to the wealthy corporate professionals who were spooked by the assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4. One promotional video, posted on January 6, "revisits" the CEO's murder and examines "how a Protector may have changed the outcome". The 'protector' in the video then runs through a handful of imaginary scenarios where they are on hand to stop the assassin and prevent the murder.
The app is the brainchild of former Meta designer Nick Sarath, who founded Protector alongside Patrol. Patrol is a separate app designed for scared suburbanites to pool funds together for a private-hire security presence in their neighbourhood. More guards, more cars, as well as drones, are available for neighbourhood surveillance. Two days after Thompson's murder, Sarath issued a press release suggesting his Protector app could be a solution to "keep us safe" where law enforcement cannot.
