Get alerts on your phone

houndkit can buzz your phone for the notifications you care about, even when houndkit is closed. You pair your phone once by scanning a code from your computer.

Pair your phone

1. On a computer, open your avatar menu, choose User Settings, then Notifications.
2. Under Phone and devices, tap Get alerts on your phone. A QR code appears.
3. Point your phone's camera at the code and tap the link that pops up.
4. Follow the steps for your phone below.
5. Back on your computer, the page updates by itself and says Phone paired. Tap Send a test to check it buzzes.

The code works once, for 15 minutes. If it runs out, tap the button again for a new one.

Already on your phone? Open the Notifications tab there and tap Turn on alerts on this phone instead.

iPhone

On iPhone, alerts only work from the houndkit icon on your Home Screen, so there's one extra step.

1. In Safari, tap Share (on newer iPhones, tap the three dots first), then Add to Home Screen. If you see an Open as Web App switch, leave it on, then tap Add.
2. Open the new houndkit icon you just added. It opens on the pairing page. If you already had a houndkit icon, use the newest one.
3. Tap Turn on alerts, then Allow.

iPhone alerts need iOS 16.4 or later.

Android

Open the link in Chrome, tap Turn on alerts, then Allow.

When it's done, your phone says "You're all set."

Alerts on your computer instead

If you're using a browser that supports alerts, you'll also see Turn on alerts on this device instead. Tap it and allow notifications when your browser asks.

Manage your devices

Every paired phone or computer is listed with when it was added and when it last got an alert. Tap Remove to stop alerts to that device. Pair another phone adds a second one.

Which topics buzz your phone, and when it stays quiet, are set in the same tab. See Choose your notifications.

If it isn't working

• "Notifications are blocked on this phone." On iPhone, open Settings → Notifications → houndkit and turn on Allow Notifications. On Android, tap the icon left of the address bar, then Permissions (or Site settings), then Notifications → Allow. Then tap the button again.
• "This browser can't show houndkit alerts." Open the link in Chrome on Android or Safari on iPhone.
• Signing out of houndkit on a phone stops alerts on that phone. Your other devices keep theirs. Locking the screen doesn't stop them.