Most people have been there, trapped on an awkward date that is going nowhere. But relief could be on the way with a new app that provides an incoming rescue call.

　　The Bad Date Rescue app, which was launched by the dating website eHarmony.com this week, lets users arrange for a call to appear on their iPhone to graciously allow them to bow out if a date isn't going well.

　　"There are all sorts of reasons for why people would want to get out of a date," said Arvind Mishra, director of product management at eHarmony. "We can all sympathize because we have all been on bad dates in our lifetime."

　　The free app includes several ways to set up a rescue. Users can pick a number from their address book for the call, for example from their mother or a friend. If the person's picture is stored on the app it will appear on the screen when the call comes through.

　　Scripts are available giving the reason for the call, such as a neighbor calling about a leaky pipe; a mother informing that a sister just had a baby; or a boss saying he needs help immediately.

　　"It graciously allows you to play along and to get out of that situation," Mishra explained.

　　The free app can be pre-set before the date to call at a specific time and there is a quick rescue that can be triggered on the spot to ring in a few seconds or minutes.

　　"There are all sorts of reasons for why people want to get out of a date. We are helping them do it in a way that is fun and light and not abrupt," he added.

　　很多人都曾受困于尷尬的約會，無法逃脫。但一款新的應用程序可以使你的手機上突然響起救兵似的“偽裝來電”，幫你解圍。

　　約會網站eHarmony.com本周最新發布了“糟糕約會營救程序”。如果約會進行不順，使用者可以利用這款程序在iPhone手機上設置偽裝來電，這樣就能從容離開了。

　　該網站的產品經營部經理阿凡德-米什拉說：“人們想結束約會有各種各樣的理由，我們對此都表示同情，因為我們一生中都曾遇到過糟糕的約會。”

　　這款免費應用程序可以通過若干種方式設置偽裝來電。使用者可以從通訊錄中挑選一個聯系人作為偽裝來電號碼，比如母親或者朋友。如果程序中存儲了來電聯系人的圖像，偽裝來電響起時圖像還會顯示在手機屏幕上。

　　應用程序還會提示來電原因，比如鄰居來電說水管漏水，母親提醒說姐妹剛生了孩子，或者老板說讓馬上過去幫忙。

　　米什拉解釋說：“這會讓你從容地找到理由去辦事，逃離約會現場。”

　　這款應用程序可以提前設置來電的具體時間，還有一種應急來電功能，可以在約會現場設置，來電鈴聲能響幾秒鐘到幾分鐘時間。

　　他補充說：“人們想結束約會有各種各樣的理由，我們是在用輕松有趣，同時不生硬的方式幫人們逃走。”