• About the FlashAlert Messenger App

    While cell phone text messaging works fine in most instances, the cell companies get suspicious when they see a thousand of the same message coming at them, as in a snow situation, and sometimes set these messages aside for greater spam screening. A better alternative to texting is push notification, where the app on your mobile device creates a peer-to-peer relationship with the source of the information, in this case the FlashAlert server. The result is faster and more reliable delivery.

    Download the app

    You will find the free FlashAlert Messenger app at Google Play and in the iTunes app store. Download the app and install it on your phone or tablet. The first time you open it, the app will ask you to link to your existing FlashAlert Messenger account, or to go to the FlashAlert website and create an account and then link.

    Link the app

    Linking the app to the account allows the app to receive push notifications from the organizations you have subscribed to on the web site, in the "My FlashAlert" tab. If you want to view information without linking, or are linked and want to see news posted by all of FlashAlert's member organizations, there are tabs for regional emergency info, news releases and high school sports scores.

    If you have trouble linking your app to your existing FlashAlert account, please click here. And please note that if you get a new phone, you must delete the old one and add the new one (the notifications are sent based on the phone's internal ID token, not the phone number).

    Be connected to receive your news

    You must be connected to the Internet to receive push notifications or news feed. That connection can be through cell service or WiFi connection.

    In Android, if you get a message that you are not connected to the Internet, cycle your WiFi off then on, and you should then be able to work off either network. The problem seems to be a conflict between the app and an operating system upgrade. FlashAlert is working on an update to the app, but it requires a rebuild from the ground up.