Get Alerts on This PhoneGet Alerts on This Computer
Alerts appear on your phone's screen the way a text message does, even when this page is closed. Setup happens right here in your web browser and takes about a minute. We do not ask for your name, phone number, or any other personal information.Alerts appear on your screen as notifications, even when this page is closed, as long as the web browser is running. Setup happens right here in your browser and takes about a minute. We do not ask for your name, phone number, or any other personal information.
Checking This PhoneChecking This Computer
If Something Is Not Working
I Tapped Don't Allow by MistakeI Clicked Block by Mistake
The phone remembers that answer, so the question will not come back on its own. This page shows the fix when it notices that alerts are blocked. Here are the same steps:The browser remembers that answer, so the question will not come back on its own. This page shows the fix when it notices that alerts are blocked. Here are the same steps:
Android, in Chrome
- Tap the icon to the left of the web address.
- Tap Permissions or Notifications, and switch to Allow.
- Reload this page.
Android, Added to the Home Screen
Open Settings, then Apps, find VOICE Alerts, tap Notifications, and turn them on.
iPhone
Open Settings, then Notifications, find VOICE Alerts, and turn on Allow Notifications. If it is not listed, remove the Home Screen icon, add it again, and tap Allow.
Computer
Click the icon to the left of the web address, change Notifications to Allow, and reload this page.
The Test Alert Did Not Arrive
- Give it a minute. Alerts usually arrive within seconds, but a phone that is saving battery can take longer.Give it a minute. Alerts usually arrive within seconds.
- Make sure the phone is connected to mobile data or Wi-Fi.Make sure the computer is online and the browser is running. Alerts cannot arrive while the browser is closed.
- Check that Do Not Disturb or Focus mode is off.
- On Android, open Settings, then Apps, then Chrome (or VOICE Alerts), then Battery, and choose Unrestricted. Some phones hold back notifications to save battery.Check that the computer's own settings allow notifications from your browser (on Windows, Settings, then System, then Notifications; on a Mac, System Settings, then Notifications).
- Come back to this page. If it says alerts are on, tap Send Me a Test Alert again.
Alerts Used to Arrive, but Stopped
Open this page again. It checks the phone and turns alerts back on if they were switched off, or shows you what needs fixing. Browsers sometimes stop notifications from websites people rarely visit, and adding this site to your Home Screen prevents that.Open this page again. It checks the computer and turns alerts back on if they were switched off, or shows you what needs fixing. Browsers sometimes stop notifications from websites people rarely visit.
I Have a New Phone or Cleared My BrowserI Have a New Computer or Cleared My Browser
Alerts are tied to the phone and browser where you set them up. Scan the QR code on any sign-up flyer, or visit alerts.voicestl.org/join.php, and set them up again.Alerts are tied to the computer and browser where you set them up. Visit alerts.voicestl.org/join.php and set them up again.
I Want to Turn Alerts Off
You can stop alerts at any time. Turning them off removes this phone from the list and erases the alert pages saved on it.You can stop alerts at any time. Turning them off removes this computer from the list and erases the alert pages saved on it.
More answers are on the Questions page.
How to Tell an Alert Came From Us
- Our alerts come only from alerts.voicestl.org. On Android, the site name appears on the notification. On iPhone, alerts come from the VOICE Alerts icon on your Home Screen.
- Every alert has a code, such as K7Q-29M, that you can look up on the front page. If a correctly typed code cannot be found, the message did not come from us.
- We will never ask you for money, passwords, your Social Security number, or other personal information, and we will never ask you to download anything.
- If a message seems wrong, please do not pass it on. You can report it to info@voicestl.org.
For partner organizations: every alert carries a digital signature. The fingerprint of our public signing key is 2F20 799E 6A37 6A8C. The full key and every active alert, with signatures, are at alerts.voicestl.org/api/alerts.php.
What We Store
When you turn on alerts, your browser gives this site a delivery address for your phone, along with two keys that seal each message so only your phone can read it. We also store the topics and language you chose, whether your phone reports arrivals, the kind of phone (Android, iPhone, or computer), when you signed up and last changed your choices, when a message last reached it, and how many deliveries in a row have failed. If you signed up from a flyer with a label, we store that label. While an alert is on its way, a sealed copy for your phone waits on this site until it is delivered or expires.When you turn on alerts, your browser gives this site a delivery address for this computer, along with two keys that seal each message so only this browser can read it. We also store the topics and language you chose, whether this computer reports arrivals, the kind of device (Android, iPhone, or computer), when you signed up and last changed your choices, when a message last reached it, and how many deliveries in a row have failed. If you signed up from a flyer with a label, we store that label. While an alert is on its way, a sealed copy waits on this site until it is delivered or expires.
We do not ask for or store your name, phone number, email address, or location, and nothing we store names you.
What Others Keep, Which We Cannot Control
- The company that hosts this website keeps its own records of visits, as almost every web host does. These usually include each visitor's internet address, the time, the page, and the kind of phone or browser. How long they are kept depends on the host.
- Depending on your browser, Google, Apple, or Mozilla carries the sealed messages to your phone. They cannot read them, but they can see that this site sent your phone a message, when, and how large it was. Your delivery address belongs to the browser on your phone, which may be signed in to an account with them.Depending on your browser, Google, Apple, Microsoft, or Mozilla carries the sealed messages to your computer. They cannot read them, but they can see that this site sent a message, when, and how large it was. Your delivery address belongs to your browser, which may be signed in to an account with them.
- When an alert arrives, your phone tells this site so we can count how many phones received it. No name or other details about you are sent, but the visit, with your phone's internet address, shows up in the web host's records. You can turn this off under Choose What You Get.When an alert arrives, your browser tells this site so we can count how many devices received it. No name or other details about you are sent, but the visit, with your internet address, shows up in the web host's records. You can turn this off under Choose What You Get.
- Alerts appear on your lock screen and stay in the phone's list of notifications until you clear them. Alert pages you open are saved on the phone so they work without a signal. Turning off alerts on this page erases those saved pages and your choices.Alerts stay in the computer's list of notifications until you clear them. Alert pages you open are saved in the browser so they work without a connection. Turning off alerts on this page erases those saved pages and your choices.
- Police or a court could ask the web host, a phone company, or the companies that carry the messages for their records. They could also ask us for ours, which hold no names.
If you choose a language from the links at the bottom of the page, the site saves that choice in a small cookie on this device. It holds only the language and is not used for anything else.