Certain organizations implement an additional security measure, requiring users to input an access code to receive alerts from them. If you’re not receiving alerts from a particular organization, this could be the reason why. To ensure you’re set up to receive alerts, visit the organization’s website, locate the Alertable sign-up page, and choose “mobile app” from the drop-down menu in the sign-up form. Follow the prompts carefully, making sure to complete the process until you receive a confirmation message stating that your mobile app is now configured to receive alerts from that organization.

In the majority of cases, no. Most organizations implement standard security protocols, eliminating the need for an access code to receive alerts from them. You can verify this on the organization’s Alertable sign-up page on their website. If the sign-up process does not prompt you for an access code, you can receive their alerts without one. Their alerts are openly available for anyone to receive.

Somebody else received an emergency alert as a wireless message or in their Alertable app but I did not.
You will only receive notifications for Locations you have added in the Settings of the Alertable app.

1. Check the Locations you have selected to receive notifications.
      a. You can check the Alertable website at https://alertable.ca to see if there was an alert issued for that location on the date you were expecting it using the Archive button.
2. Your device may have had volume off or do not disturb mode enabled. If you wish to override volume and do not disturb and always hear a sound for critical alerts, turn on the “Override Silent Mode” setting in your Alertable app.
3. Check your cellular connection.
4. Check your WIFI connection (if on airplane mode or bad cell connection).
5. Check if you have the Critical Alerts Only setting selected or the Critical and Advisory Alerts setting.
6. If you are away from your chosen locations, check that you have the “Follow Me” setting on.

The decision to send a public emergency alert rests with the local, regional, provincial, territorial or federal authority. In some instances, the authorities choose to alert the public through channels like local news media via radio, TV, online instead of through Canada’s national public alert system, Alert Ready, that the Alertable app is connected to. We suggest you contact the responsible authority to find out why they didn’t send the alert that you were expecting to receive.

The only types of alerts from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) that appear in the Alertable app are weather watches and warnings, not weather statements.

The Alertable app is separate from the cellular broadcast technology that your cellular provider uses to send wireless alerts. You will need to contact your cellular provider to ask why you did not receive the test alert. In the meantime, the Alertable app provides a fallback option, as you should receive the alert in the app as long as you have a network connection (and are not offline or in airplane mode). And there is an Override Silent Mode setting so that you always hear critical alerts even if your phone volume is off or in do not disturb mode.

The decision to issue an alert rests with the local, regional, provincial, territorial and federal authorities.
If you are not sure that there was an Alert issued by the authorities, follow these steps:

To check if there was an alert sent for your location

• Go to the Alertable website at https://alertable.ca
• Tap Archive > Calendar and select the date you believe there was an alert issued

If the alert you are looking for is not displayed in the “Past alerts for displayed map area” that means there wasn’t and alert issued by the authorities

If you know there was an alert sent but you didn’t get it on the app, follow these steps:

1. Check the Locations you have selected to receive notifications for.
2. Check the setting on the app “Override Silent mode”.
3. Check if you have the Critical Alerts Only setting selected or the Critical Advisory Alerts setting.
4. Check you have the “Follow Me” setting on.
5. Check your cellular connection.
6. Check your WIFI connection (if on airplane mode or bad cell connection).

I know there was an alert for my area, but I did not see or hear a notification on my Android phone.

In addition to some general things to check described under Why didn’t I receive an alert from the Alertable App? above, here are some things you can do to ensure your Android device is able to receive Alertable notifications:

Ensure Notifications are enabled for Alertable

1. Open the device Settings App
2. Select Notifications (or Apps & notifications on some devices)
3. Select See all or See all apps
4. Select Alertable
5. Select Notifications (on some devices)
6. Ensure all Alertable notifications are enabled

Exclude Alertable from Battery Saver/App power management

On Samsung Android devices:

1. Open the device Settings App
2. Select Device Care
3. Select Battery
4. Select App power management
5. Select Apps that won’t be put to sleep
6. Tap the + button (top right)
7. Select “Alertable” from the list and tap Add (lower right)

 

On Huawei Android devices:

1. Open the device Settings App
2. Select Apps
3. Select Settings (may be at the bottom of the screen, sometimes under a three-dots menu at the top)
4. Select Special Access
5. Select Ignore optimizations. This should go to a list of apps
6. If Alertable appears in that list and set to “Not allowed” tap on Alertable and choose “Allow”

 

On other Android models, including Google Pixel devices:

1. Open the device Settings App
2. Select Battery
3. Select Battery Saver
4. Select Extreme Battery Saver
5. Select Essential apps
6. Check the box for “Alertable”

 

Notification and battery/power settings vary between Android makes and models. If you are still having problems receiving Alertable notifications on your Android device, please use the contact us for assistance.

I know there was an alert for my area, but I did not see or hear a notification on my iPhone.

In addition to some general things to check described under Why didn’t I receive an alert from the Alertable App? above, if your iPhone is running low on space, and you have “Offload Unused Apps” enabled, the Alertable app may have been removed automatically from your iPhone. When this happens, Alertable is no longer able to notify you.

To restore the Alertable App, simply tap on the Alertable icon on your home screen.

To prevent the Alertable App from being offloaded, you can disable the “Offload Unused Apps” feature on your iPhone:

1. Open the device Settings app
2. Select App Store
3. Switch off “Offload Unused Apps”

 

You can find alternatives to the “Offload Unused Apps” feature for freeing up space on your device here: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT203097

I received an Earthquake alert that happened days/months ago at a location that’s not relevant to me.

These alerts come directly from USGS(https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/earthquake-hazards/earthquakes). We suggest you contact USGC to ask why they sent an alert through their public feed for an earthquake that already happened days/months ago.

If the mobile device you were using at the time had a weak or intermittent internet connection (low cellular or wifi signal), it can affect the alert notification being received. Another possibility is if your mobile device was in deep sleep or hibernation mode, which it can do if it has been sitting idle for a while and/or if the battery is low. This too can impact an alert notification being received. With both of these possibilities, however, you will still be able to see the alert in the app if you manually open the app.

If you received an alert but did not hear a sound

1. Touch Settings
2. Touch “Override Silent mode”

This is only for Critical Alerts though, this setting has no effect for advisory alerts.

If you do not hear a sound for an advisory alert you can check the advisory alert sound setting to make sure is not turned off. Also check that your phone is not silenced or in do not disturb mode.

I see the notification for an alert on the lock screen but when I open the app there are no alerts listed.

Try, Updating your app

1. Check that you have the latest version of the app
   • Go to the app store and check if there is a version update, if there is, it is recommended to update
2. Try reinstalling the Alertable app

Transportation alerts are sent by Alertable for major transportation incidents that affect roads, ferries, etc. Transportation alerts is a new optional alert type, to turn this feature off:

• Tap on Settings
• Tap on Advanced Advisory Alerts
• Under Transportation – tap Road Conditions to turn it off

I just installed the app and I want to make sure it works

You can add a Test location to confirm you see alerts in the app:

1. Pick a location name to do the test. Go to the Alertable website https://alertable.ca to check locations with alerts issued recently, and choose a location name.
2. Touch the Alertable app.
3. Touch Settings.
4. Touch Locations, on the “Add Town, City, Province, Territory” field, type the name you chose on step 1.
5. Touch Close.
6. Touch > Alerts.
7. Under Alerts for your locations, you should see the same alerts being shown on the Alertable website. If that’s the case it means the app is working as expected.

To remove the Test location, from inside the Alertable app

1. Touch Settings.
2. Touch Locations.
3. Touch Edit.
4. Select the location name.
5. Touch Delete (top right corner of the screen), touch Delete at the message window.
6. Touch Close.

If your municipality offers Alertable notifications via email, please visit their website to find the signup form.  Enter your email address into the signup form and click/tap Sign Up.  Enter the Access Code that will be sent to the email address you have provided.

If your municipality offers Alertable notifications via SMS or Phone, please visit their website to find the signup form.  Enter your phone number into the signup form and click/tap Sign Up.  Enter the Access Code that will be sent to the phone number you have provided.

Yes, if your municipality offers SMS or phone notifications and as long as you have a cellular or wifi connection you will receive the alerts.

Yes, you can register as many phone numbers and email addresses as you like.

No, the service is completely free of charge.

To unsubscribe from email notifications, please visit your municipality’s website and find the signup form.  Select “Existing Subscriber” and enter your email address and click/tap Sign In.  Enter the Access Code that will be sent to your email address.  Select “Close Account” and confirm that you no longer want to receive email notifications.

To unsubscribe from SMS or Phone notifications, please visit your municipality’s website and find the signup form.  Select “Existing Subscriber” and enter your phone number and click/tap Sign In.  Enter the Access Code that will be sent to your phone number.  Select “Close Account” and confirm that you no longer want to receive email notifications.

Yes, you can go through the signup steps on behalf of someone else.  For instance, it may be someone who doesn’t have internet access or may have difficulties interacting with the signup form.  Prior to going through the signup steps, you will need to confirm with that person what their contact information is, such as phone number or email address.  During the signup process an Access Code will be sent, which confirms that there is a valid person signing up.  If the person is signing up via telephone, a phone call will be placed to them with the access code and they will have to capture it (write it down) and then let you know what it is.  Please arrange to get this access code from the person shortly after you fill out the first step of the form on their behalf, then enter the Access Code and complete the remaining steps.

Our customer service team can assist you with any questions that weren’t answered in this FAQ.  Please contact info@peasi.com and provide us with some details about you, such as the email or phone number you are using, where you are from, and any other details that will help us to assist you.

If you aren’t receiving an access code when you are attempting to signup, please wait a few minutes to see if it arrives.  If you are using an email address to signup, please make sure to check your Spam or Junkmail folder and then add our email address to your Safe Senders list.  If you are using a phone number (phone call) to signup, then the Alertable system will try to call you with your access code and if the line is busy we can’t reach you.  If you are expecting a Text or a Phone Call and are using an iPhone, please make sure you have turned off the “Silence Unknown Callers” option in Settings > Phone to allow our messages to come through. Link Test

You must have an active cellular or wifi connection to receive an alert. If you do not have an active or strong enough cellular or wifi connection when an alert is sent, the alert will be queued for a limited time and be sent to you once your device is connected, again. Examples of offline situations include the device being in airplane mode, cellular or wifi turned off, out of range of a local cellular tower or wifi base station, in dead zones where the cellular or wifi signal is impeded, etc.

The locations that you can choose in the Alertable app are official regional boundaries defined by the Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) codes from Statistics Canada. If you cannot find a specific location, try searching for the larger municipality (eg. to get alerts for Sydney, NS, add Cape Breton, NS) and you will get notifications for your area.

1. Go into Settings (top right hand part of the main screen).
2. Touch Locations (the first option in the Settings screen).
3. Start typing the name of the location you want to add in the top entry bar.
4. Choose the location from the list of results that appears below the search bar.

You can continue adding more locations following those steps.

Currently, the Alertable app is only available for locations within Canada.

The Alertable app is designed such that it will broadcast all critical level alerts issued from authorities. Although advisory level alerts can be turned off, critical alerts cannot. However, Alertable respects your device volume and do-not-disturb settings for all alerts, even critical ones, if you have “Override Silent Mode” turned off in your Alertable settings. So, if your device volume is turned off, or you have it set to do-not-disturb (including auto do-not-disturb settings), the device will not sound when a critical-level alert arrives (although the alert notification will appear and the alert will be in the app).

Check that the version of your device is compatible with the app

• iPhone – iOS 11 or later
• Android – Android Lollipop 5.1 or later

The most significant use of battery power by the Alertable App is location updates to send you alerts for locations you travel to.

You can try turning off the “Follow Me” feature in the Alertable App to conserve battery power. You will still receive alerts for the locations you have manually chosen.

Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada (License)