FAQ: How to ensure you Receive Notifications

After receiving your confirmation text, create an unique notification sound for the specific Alert contact and bypass Do Not Disturb (or similar after-hours settings). Varies slightly between iPhone and Android, as follows:

iPhone:

1. Creating a Text Tone (for the contact EWS ALERT):

• Assigning a Tone:
  • Option 1: Focus Modes (iOS 15 and later) - This is the best way
    1. Go to Settings > Focus.
    2. Create a new Focus mode (e.g., "Flood Alerts").
    3. Customize the Focus mode:
       • Allowed Notifications: Choose "People" and select the specific contact EWS ALERT.
       • Time Sensitive Notifications: Enable this. This is crucial as it will allow these notifications to bypass Do Not Disturb.
       • Customize Screens: (Optional) You can customize a home screen specifically for this Focus mode.
    4. When you want to ensure you get flood alerts, activate this Focus mode. You can do this from Control Centre.
  • Option 2: Emergency Bypass (for Text Messages): This is less ideal as it allows all messages from the contact to come through, but an easier option:
    1. Open the Contacts app.
    2. Select the contact.
    3. Tap "Edit."
    4. Find "Text Tone." - we strongly recommend choosing a unique/unused Text Tone eg. Classic > News Flash
    5. Enable "Emergency Bypass."

Android:

1. Setting a Custom Notification Sound (for contact EWS ALERT):

• Using a Custom Sound File:
  1. Find the contact in your Contacts app.
  2. Look for an option to edit the contact (often a pencil icon).
  3. Within the contact details, there should be a section for "Ringtone" and/or "Notification Sound." The exact wording and location may vary slightly depending on your Android version and phone manufacturer (Samsung, Google Pixel, etc.).
  4. Tap on "Notification Sound" (or similar).
  5. You should see a list of available notification sounds. There might be an option to choose a sound "From storage" or "File manager." This will allow you to select a custom sound file (e.g., an MP3) from your phone.
  6. Select your chosen sound.

2. Bypassing Do Not Disturb (or similar):

• Priority Notifications (Android 5.0 and later):
  1. Go to Settings > Notifications (or similar).
  2. Look for "Do Not Disturb," "Priority Mode," or "Interruptions."
  3. You should be able to configure which contacts or apps are allowed to send notifications even when Do Not Disturb is enabled. The specific steps will vary based on your Android version and manufacturer. Look for options like "Starred contacts," "Priority contacts," or the ability to customize which apps can override DND.
  4. Add the contact for flood alerts to your priority list.
• Contact-Specific Override (May be available on some newer Android versions):
  1. Open the Contacts app.
  2. Select the contact.
  3. There may be an option to enable a Do Not Disturb override for that specific contact. This may be labelled "Override DND" or similar.