AlertCueBecome a founding member

Help

Set AlertCue up, check the phone settings that matter and test it on your phone. AlertCue is an Android app, so every step here is on an Android phone. Each step uses the words you’ll see in the app.

Setting up, step by step

Setup asks for these in order, one page at a time, and checks again when you come back from a setting.

  1. Choose apps

    AlertCue only follows up on messages from apps you choose. For each app you choose who counts: “Anyone”, or “Chosen people and words”, only the people and keywords you add. Then you choose its Alert style: “Remind me”, “Say it out loud”, “Loud alert” or “Say it out loud + Loud alert”. AlertCue doesn’t pick for you.

  2. Choose who counts

    Add the people, email domains, keywords and conversations that matter. A person can be a name or an email address, typed or picked from your contacts. For apps set to “Chosen people and words”, AlertCue alerts you only for them.

  3. Choose ringing hours

    Choose when AlertCue may ring, or “Any time”. Outside these hours AlertCue doesn’t ring or speak. Apps set to Remind still remind you. Ringing hours use the phone’s local time.

  4. Start alerts

    Nothing alerts until you tap Start alerts.

  5. Let AlertCue see notifications

    Without this, AlertCue can’t tell when a message arrives, so it can’t follow up.

    If Android shows “Restricted setting” when you allow notification access, open AlertCue’s app info, tap the three-dot menu and choose “Allow restricted settings”, then try again.

    What notification access allows

  6. Allow AlertCue’s alerts

    Without this, AlertCue’s reminders and alerts stay hidden. Allow AlertCue’s notifications when Android asks.

  7. Turn on On-time alerts

    Without it, alerts can be an hour late. The app opens the right screen: turn on “Alarms & reminders” there for AlertCue.

  8. Battery: Unrestricted

    Setup asks you to set AlertCue’s battery use to “Unrestricted”. The button to skip it reads “Skip – alerts may be late or missed”.

  9. Allow background activity

    If background activity is restricted for AlertCue, alerts may come late or not at all. Allow it in AlertCue’s app settings. Some phones need a few more steps: see “Battery and background” below.

    Battery and background

  10. Show alerts on the lock screen

    The step opens Android’s “Full screen notifications” setting for AlertCue, where you turn it on. The step is optional, and setup never stops on it. Run the “Phone test” with the phone locked to check the result on your own phone.

  11. Check your alarm volume

    Loud and spoken alerts use your alarm volume. At zero, a loud alert only vibrates and a spoken alert makes no sound. AlertCue never changes your volume.

Setup complete

Your setup steps are done. Until you test it, the app says “Phone not tested”.

Test it on your phone

Phone settings that can delay or silence an alert

AlertCue shows what it can check on your phone, and the next step for anything that needs you. It never changes Do Not Disturb or your volume.

  • Do Not Disturb may silence loud alerts

    If Do Not Disturb is set to silence alarms too, a loud alert may make no sound. With Do Not Disturb on, apps that only remind you may stay quiet until you turn it off. AlertCue never changes Do Not Disturb.

  • Raise alarm volume

    Loud alerts use the alarm volume, not the ringtone volume. At zero, a loud alert only vibrates and a spoken alert makes no sound. AlertCue never changes your volume.

  • Battery and background

    Battery and background settings can delay or stop AlertCue’s alerts. If background activity is restricted, the app shows “Allow background activity”. Some phones also close AlertCue when it’s swiped away from recent apps. On those, the app shows “Keep AlertCue running on this phone” with the steps for that phone, and you confirm each one, because AlertCue can’t check them itself.

  • Lock screen alerts

    Phone setup opens Android’s “Full screen notifications” setting for AlertCue, where you turn it on. The step is optional, and setup never stops on it. Run the “Phone test” with the phone locked to check the result on your own phone.

Test it on your phone

Open “Phone test”, choose “Loud alert test” and tap “Start test”. AlertCue sends itself a test message, shows a reminder, then starts a loud alert. It stops when you answer it or its time is up.

To test locked, lock the phone after starting.

Only you can say whether you heard it, so the test asks you.

AlertCue · now
AlertCue test
This is AlertCue’s test message. It is not from anyone.

As the test runs, the app shows

  1. Message received
  2. Reminder shown
  3. Loud alert started

Did you hear the loud alert?

  • Yes, I heard it
  • No, I didn’t
  • Not sure

If an alert was missed

In the app’s settings, choose “Report missed alert”. Say what happened and when. Your answers are saved on this phone and added to the diagnostics report.

The report has no message text, titles or senders. Nothing leaves your phone until you share it, and you choose the app you share it with. You can also choose whether it names your apps.

Send it to us
Report missed alert

What happened?

  • No alert
  • Alert came late
  • Alert not heard
  • Something else

Contact

Questions and problem reports

support@alertcue.si

Write to us about a question or a problem. If an alert was missed, share the diagnostics report from the app to this address. Please don’t paste message text or other people’s details into an email.

For privacy questions and data requests, see Contact in the privacy policy.

Still have a question?

Short answers about the app, its alerts, privacy and your phone.

Become a founding member