Power Failure & Outage Alarm 4+

Great for monitoring fish tanks or for caregivers

Pros

-I can lock my phone, and the alarm still goes off (during tests, at least); no need to keep the screen unlocked with the screensaver the app just needs to armed and left running in the background (testing while writing this review)

-programmable alarm delay in case power is restored quickly

Cons

-can’t change the sound of the alarm; typical panic alarm sound. But it gets the job done if power supply is critical.

-only has an email option; an SMS option might be critical for when the app is setup to notify a caregiver of a power outage

Suggestions

-alternate alarm sounds

-Home Screen arm-alarm widget (nothing fancy)

-Data network disconnect detection/alarm (if the power goes out, the WIFI will likely disconnect). This might be an alternate solution for someone who doesn’t have a charger on-hand, or beside the bed.

All-in-all, this app serves my need and will let me know if there’s an outage. I care for two saltwater fish tanks, one 30g and one 140. The power can be off for Andre hours without much harm to tanks, but the real fear here is the skimmer pump turning back on when the power does, and it could overflow if the sump’s water level hasn’t equalized, which would dump skimmate into the water and nuke my tank. I’ll be paying for the 99¢ app even tho I don’t need the additional functions, it would be nice to support a developer that might be willing to support added features!

Great app with some small recommendations

1. I love this service is a very fair one time payment.
2. This app allows you to use commonly used devices you already own to monitor power outages.
3. I love the simplicity of the app.

We are expecting power outages from storms soon and I want this app to give me a heads up when a outage occurs while i am sleeping. This would allow me to go start the generator and get heat going in the house as opposed to waiting a couple hours and waking up to a very cold house.

Great idea and is app seems perfect for the task.

I wish there were some additional features.
1. Adding multiple email addresses or phone numbers for txt messaging that way multiple people could be alerted.

1.1 If it included location of the phone or electrical device, and time stamp power off. And notify when power is reconnected and time stamp power on, this would be great as well. The ultimate hope is to monitor power outages. Wether I am asleep or way from the property.

2. Being able to add additional alert tones would be a great option.

So far, that’s all I can think of. :)

Annoying notifications

I’m always getting a notification saying iOS doesn’t let third party apps work in the background. Not sure if this is a glitch or if it’s even working so I don’t feel safe that it’s even on deleted and you can keep the 99 cents I spent to upgrade it . What a waste don’t buy it .

Update: I thought I would give update after it was pointed out to me that because I had the auto torch activated was the reason I was receiving annoying notifications about third party apps. Thank you to the developers for pointing this out.

Developer Response ,

Thank you for the review. Please note that if you are trying to enable "auto-torch", a feature that turns the flashlight on when the alarm goes off, it will not work in the background. It is not possible for third party apps to turn the torch on from the background. Are you referring to this alert? "The iOS system doesn't let third party apps turn the torch on if the app is in the background or the screen is locked. In order for the auto-torch to work, please make sure to keep the app active."