Can your smartphone detect gunfire? Chicago startup puts new technology to the test

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. SplitSec is running trials in Chicago as it seeks to build a network of users to help alert others about shootings. A Chicago-based startup is testing a new approach to gunshot detection technology that transforms smartphones into acoustic sensors, potentially saving lives. The testing comes almost two years after the city ended its contract with SoundThinking. SplitSec, which was founded in Chicago in 2025, has developed an app that is capable of detecting gunshots using the microphones that are already built into Android phones. The technology has the potential to eliminate the need to install fixed sensors, such as the ones used by SoundThinking. "As I observed events around us, one of the things that was striking is any time there is a gunfire incident, people are unaware, and they stand there for several minutes not knowing what happened. And so