Get phone alerts that are actually useful

What you need: Hooks – Alerts for Everything; Android device or iphone Time required: 15 mins

Many of the alerts you receive on your phone aren’t that relevant to you (for example, app updates or spam emails and texts). The free app Hooks lets you set up useful alerts in no time at all. These can include local weather updates, the latest scores of your favourite football team and the winning lottery numbers as soon as they’re announced. We’re using the Android app ( www.snipca.com/17305) for this Workshop, but the iphone app ( www.snipca.com/17306) works in a similar way.

STEP1

Open the app and tap the ‘+’ symbol to see three tabs. The All tab contains a list of all the available alerts you can create in categories (Tv/movies, Weather 1 , Sports and so on). The Popular tab 2 displays a list of alerts that other people have created. Simply tap the Add button beside the alert you want to add it to your list. The Suggested tab will be empty when you start using the app, but will fill up with relevant suggestions based on those you add to your list. You can also tap the search icon 3 to find specific alerts, for example by typing weather or currency exchange.

STEP2

We’ll first create an alert that notifies you about rainfall in your location. Tap the All tab, navigate to the Weather section, then tap ‘Rain Alert’. Now tap the field beside City, type the city or town you live in, then tap the search icon. You’ll see a list of relevant results for your location; tap the correct one 1 . Next, tap the dropdown menu beside ‘Min. Rain intensity’ and select the level of rainfall you want to be notified about 2 . Now tap the ‘Alert time’ dropdown menu and select how long in advance you want to be notified. Options are 1,2, 3, 5 and 7 days.

STEP

3

Next, tap ‘Days to monitor’ 1 and select the days you want the app to monitor rainfall in your area. By default, all days of the week are ticked but you can untick the ones you don’t want, then tap Choose. Tap the Play Sound slider 2 if you don’t want to hear a notification sound. Finally, tap the tick icon 3 to create your alert. Pretty much all alerts are set up in this way, though the options and dropdown menus will vary depending on the type of alert you’re setting up.

STEP4

With the new football season kicking off soon, you may be keen to receive notifications about your favourite team’s fixtures and results. To see upcoming fixtures, navigate to the Sports section, tap ‘Show more’ at the bottom, then ‘Football/soccer Team Next Game’. Next, tap ‘Choose a soccer team’, type the name of your team, then tap the correct suggestion 1 . Next, tap the ‘Notify time’ dropdown menu, choose how long before the game starts you want to be notified about the fixture 2 , and then tap the tick icon 3 .

STEP 5

You’ll now see a list of fixture notifications for other football teams. Tap the Add buttons 1 beside the alerts you want, then tap Done 2 . To receive final-score alerts, navigate to the Sports section again, tap ‘Show more’, then tap Football/soccer Team Results, tap the field beside ‘Soccer team’, type the name of your team, tap the correct suggestion. Now, tap the tick at the top. Again, you’ll see a list of other teams’ results that you can add. Tap Done after you adding the ones you want.

STEP6

If you play the lottery, you can set Hooks to tell you the winning numbers as soon as they’re announced. Scroll to the Misc section, tap ‘Show more’ at the bottom, then tap ‘Lottery results’. Next, tap ‘choose a lottery’ and scroll down the list, which includes Euromillions, Eurojackpot, Lotto and Thunderball. Tap to select the one you play, then tap the tick icon at the top. You can also use the app to remind you when a new episode of your favourite TV programme is on, to pay your bills to check your stocks and shares 2 and even to tell you there’s a new album by your favourite artist 3 .

STEP 7

After setting your alerts, tap the left-pointing arrow beside Create Alert (at the top left) to see them as a list. Tap any alert for more information. Tap an alert for the football-fixture alert, for example, and you’ll see a list of all your team’s upcoming matches. Tap the Team Schedule button 1 to see the list of fixtures on the ESPN website. Tap the bell icon 2 to switch the sound for that alert on or off. If you want to edit the alert (to change the team, for example), tap the pen icon 3 , then make your changes. To delete the alert, tap the bin icon 4 , then Delete. ●