Getting a phone call to get you out of a bad date has been a practise that people have been using since the invention of the mobile phone.

Now, the back page of the Indo tells us that you don’t need to rely on your friend to remember to call you, The Bad Date Rescue app can do the dirty work for you as you clamour to make excuses to leave when your dream date turns to disaster.

With the free iPhone app, dubbed Bad Date Rescue, you can arrange for your ill-starred rendezvous to be interrupted by a phone call from a range of fictional characters: Mom is asking for help fixing the DVD player so that Dad can watch an important presentation for work; your boss needs your help right away; your neighbour informs you that a pipe has burst in your basement.

A great deal of choreography goes into the “call.” It can be scheduled and then ignored, or triggered by the push of a button when things begin to fizzle. You can program your phone to appear as though any of your contacts ”” accompanied by a photo ”” is calling you.

Other apps simulate phone calls for users trying to escape awkwardness, but the Bad Date Rescue app distinguishes itself with interactive pre-recorded scripts.