FAQ — Tsunami Watch

How do I enable push notifications for tsunami alerts? +

Open Tsunami Watch and go to Settings → Notifications. Toggle on "Enable Push Alerts" and grant notification permission when prompted by your device.

We strongly recommend keeping notifications enabled — alerts are designed to wake you from sleep if a tsunami threat is issued near your watched regions.

If you previously denied permission, you can re-enable notifications in your device's system settings: Settings → Tsunami Watch → Notifications → Allow Notifications.

You must also have an active subscription to receive push notifications. Go to Settings → Subscription to view your subscription status and available subscription plans.

What's the difference between an Information Statement, Warning, Advisory, Watch, and Threat? +

These five alert levels come directly from official tsunami monitoring agencies:

Level	What it means	Recommended action
Information	An information statement indicates that an earthquake has occurred, but does not pose a tsunami threat, or that a tsunami warning, advisory, or watch has been issued for another section of the ocean.	No action is required.
Watch	Tsunami watches are an advance notice to USA areas that could be impacted by a tsunami at a later time. Watch areas may be upgraded to warning or advisory status, or canceled, based on new information or analysis.	Be prepared to evacuate. Stay informed and follow local emergency instructions.
Advisory	Tsunami advisories mean that a tsunami capable of producing strong currents or waves dangerous to people in or very near the water is expected in a USA state or territory. Significant widespread inundation is not expected for areas under an advisory.	Stay out of the water and away from the shore. Follow official guidance.
Warning	Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is expected or occurring in a USA state or territory. Warnings indicate that widespread, dangerous coastal flooding accompanied by powerful currents are possible and may continue for several hours after the initial wave arrival.	Evacuate immediately to high ground or inland. Do not wait to observe the waves.
Threat	A tsunami alert is issued for an entire, non-U.S. country indicating tsunami danger exists for one or more regions in that country.	Be prepared to evacuate. Stay informed and follow local emergency instructions.

When in doubt, treat any alert as serious and follow the guidance of local emergency management officials.

Which regions and countries does Tsunami Watch cover? +

Tsunami Watch monitors official bulletins for the following areas:

United States: Lower 48 (both coasts), Alaska, Hawaii, and US Pacific territories (Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa) and Caribbean territories (Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands).
Canada: East and West coasts.
Central & South America: Pacific coast and Gulf of Mexico / Caribbean / Atlantic coast nations.
Pacific Rim: Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and other Pacific Ocean bordering nations.

Coverage may expand over time as additional official agency feeds become available.

How do I add or change my watched regions? +

Watched regions let you receive push notifications specific to the coastal areas you care about — your home, family, travel destinations, etc.

To manage your watched regions:

Open the app and navigate to Settings → Watched Regions.
Turn on the toggle for the region you are interested in.
To remove a region, turn off the toggle.

You can also set up watched regions during the initial onboarding flow when you first launch the app.

Is Tsunami Watch free? What does the premium subscription include? +

Tsunami Watch is free to download and use. The core app — including the dashboard, alert details, map, and in-app bulletin browsing — is available at no cost.

A premium subscription unlocks push notifications. Because real-time alerts require continuous server infrastructure (receiving feeds, sending push messages 24/7), this feature involves ongoing operating costs that the subscription helps cover.

Subscriptions are managed entirely through the Apple App Store or Google Play. Trevlo Tech LLC does not store your payment information.

You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time through your device's subscription settings.

Where does Tsunami Watch get its alert data? +

All tsunami bulletins displayed in the app are sourced from official government meteorological and emergency management agencies. This includes organizations like the US National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC), the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), and equivalent national bodies in covered regions.

Tsunami Watch does not generate or modify alert data — it surfaces the same official information you would find on agency websites like Tsunami.gov, but delivers it to your phone as quickly as possible.

How does Tsunami Watch protect my privacy? +

Privacy is a core principle of Tsunami Watch. Here's the short version:

Your location never leaves your device. It's used only on-device to show your proximity to threats.
We do not collect names, email addresses, phone numbers, or any personal details.
We collect only a push notification token (to send alerts), and optionally anonymized crash reports and usage analytics — both of which you can disable in Settings.
We do not sell or use your data for advertising.

For the full details, see our Privacy Policy.

How do I disable crash reporting or analytics? +

Both Firebase Crashlytics and Firebase Analytics are fully optional and can be disabled at any time:

Open the app and go to Settings → Diagnostics.
You'll find toggles for Crash Reporting and Analytics.
Simply turn off the toggles for either or both.
If disabling crash reporting, you must shutdown and restart the app before the change takes effect.

Disabling these does not affect the app's core functionality — you'll still receive alerts and be able to use all features.

The app isn't sending me notifications — what should I check? +

If you're not receiving push notifications, work through this checklist:

In-app setting: Go to Settings → Notifications and confirm "Enable Push Alerts" is toggled on.
Device permission: Check your device's system settings under Tsunami Watch → Notifications and ensure notifications are allowed.
Do Not Disturb: Make sure Do Not Disturb or Focus modes are not blocking the app's notifications. Consider allowing Tsunami Watch as a priority sender.
Subscription: Push notifications require an active premium subscription. Check that your subscription is active in your App Store or Google Play account.
Watched regions: Notifications are scoped to your watched regions. Confirm you have at least one region added under the watched regions settings.
Internet connection: The app needs a wifi or data connection to register your device and receive alerts.
Update the app: Check the App Store or Google Play store to see if any updates are available.

If you've checked all of the above and still aren't receiving alerts, use the app support feature under Settings → Help and Support → Contact Support and describe your problem. This provides necessary informaton to troubleshoot your issue.

How do I contact support? +

Use the in app support request feature in Settings → Help and Support → Contact Support. Describe your issue with as much detail as possible.

Or, email us at support@trevlotech.com. Please include as much detail as possible:

A description of the issue
Your device model and operating system version
App version (visible in Settings → About)
Steps to reproduce the issue, if applicable

We aim to respond within a few business days.

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