LONDON, ONT. -- Police are crediting a new cell phone app with helping locate and rescue a couple in distress in west London Friday.

A woman called 911 around 12:40 p.m., saying she and her husband her were stuck on an embankment near the ice, in the area of Tigerlily and Riverbend roads.

The woman used the What3words app on her phone to provide an exact location to emergency crews.

The couple was located about 20 minutes later and brought to safety.

What3words is a UK-based company that has developed an app of the same name that assigns a three-word phrase to every 3 metre by 3 metre plot of land on earth.

Users open the app and can give police, paramedics or firefighters the three words for their particular location, which can help first responders narrow down their location.

Location services must be enabled for the app to work, but it can also work offline. 

London police are urging the public to download the free technology.