Getting started with Alert24

Install and choose your language

Alert24 runs on Android 7.0 and later and is free on Google Play.

1. 1

   Install from Google Play

   Get it from the download page or search for Alert24 in Google Play. The package name is app.alert24.antitheft.dont.touch.phone; check it if you see look-alike apps.

2. 2

   Pick a language on the App Language screen

   The first screen lists 31 languages with your device language preselected. Tap yours and then Continue. You can change it later from the menu under Language.

3. 3

   Read the four intro slides

   Tap Next through the short introduction. On the last slide the button changes to Grant Permission.

The permission sheet, explained

The Permission Required sheet lists each permission with an Enable button. None of them is forced at this point, but every alarm needs the first two. Tap Continue when you are done. The full detail is in every permission explained.

1. 1

   Display over other apps

   The alarm screen, where you enter your PIN to stop the siren, is drawn on top of whatever is open. Without this, no alarm is shown or heard. Android opens its own settings page; switch Alert24 on and come back.

2. 2

   Battery optimisation

   Lets the protection service keep running when the screen is off. Android asks you to confirm.

3. 3

   Auto Start

   Shown only on some phones (for example Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo) whose battery managers stop background apps. Enable it so the alarm still works after a restart.

4. 4

   Capture images

   The camera, used only for intruder photos. Skip it if you do not want photos; the alarms still work.

5. 5

   Location

   Used for the address on intruder photos, trusted places and Remote Access. Remote Access needs "Allow all the time". Alarms work without it.

6. 6

   Phone state

   Lets the app notice when you are on a call so the alarm does not go off in the middle of it.

Create your PIN, pattern or knock code

This is the Alert24 lock. It stops the siren and it opens the app. Nobody can disarm anything without it, so make it different from your screen lock.

1. 1

   Select Lock Type

   Choose Passcode (4 digits), Pattern (at least 4 dots) or Knock Code (4 to 8 taps on a four-square grid), then tap Okay.

2. 2

   Create and verify

   Enter it once and tap Create, then enter it again and tap Save. If the two do not match you see "Passcode not matched" and start again.

3. 3

   Agree to the terms and, optionally, sign in

   Tick I agree to the terms. The Google sign-in box is ticked by default; leave it ticked if you plan to use Remote Access or the device intruder alert. Untick it to stay signed out for now. Tap Continue.

4. 4

   Allow notifications

   On Android 13 and later the system asks about notifications. Allow them: Alert24 shows a small "Your Phone is Protected" notification while an alarm is armed, and Android requires it for the background service.

Arm your first alarm

You are now on the dashboard with four tabs: Charger, Motion, Pick Pocket and Ear Phone. Motion is selected.

1. 1

   Tap Activate on the Motion tab

   A 10-second countdown runs. Put the phone down on the table before it reaches zero. A short confirmation appears and the card changes to Currently Active.

2. 2

   Adjust sensitivity, flash and vibration

   The gear icon opens a sensitivity slider. The Flash and Vibrate switches add a strobe and vibration to the siren.

3. 3

   Try the other tabs

   Charger needs the charger plugged in before you can activate it. Ear Phone needs wired or USB earphones connected; Bluetooth earphones are not supported. Pick Pocket arms after the countdown and fires when the phone comes out of a pocket or bag.

4. 4

   Stop the alarm with your lock

   When an alarm fires you hear a short warning beep, then the siren and a full-screen Enter Your Passcode (or pattern or knock code) screen. Enter your lock and it stops. Each alarm disarms itself after firing; tap Activate again to re-arm.

Set trusted places and automation

So you do not have to remember to arm anything.

1. 1

   Add a trusted place

   Open the menu, then Settings, then Trusted Locations. Tap the plus button, choose a name such as Home or Work, and confirm. The app saves your current position. Within about 20 metres of an active trusted place, the charger, earphone and auto-armed pickpocket alerts are paused. Details on the trusted places page.

2. 2

   Turn on automation

   On the dashboard, tap the automation icon and switch on the alarms you want armed automatically: charger removal whenever you plug in, earphone removal whenever you connect wired earphones, and pickpocket when the phone is in a pocket and you are walking. The pickpocket option asks for the physical activity permission.

3. 3

   Set the pre-alarm beep and tone

   In Settings, Pre Alarm Beep Settings sets how many seconds of warning beep play before the siren for each alarm. Alarm Tone lets you choose one of five sirens, a system ringtone or your own audio file.

Turn on Remote Access and add a backup number

Remote Access lets you ring, locate and photograph the phone from a browser or another phone. It is part of Premium. The switch on this phone is free; the remote dashboard needs a subscription.

1. 1

   Sign in with Google

   If you skipped it earlier, open the menu and sign in. Remote Access uses your Google account to identify your phones, and only that account can send commands.

2. 2

   Slide to activate Remote Access

   On the dashboard, tap the remote control button and slide the Remote Access control. The app checks for camera and location "all the time". If either is missing you see a message asking you to enable them.

3. 3

   Add a backup number

   The app asks for a phone number and a confirmation of it. You can change it later under Access via Phone in the menu.

4. 4

   Check it from a browser

   Sign in at alert24.in with the same Google account. Your phone should appear as online. Read more on the Remote Access feature page.

Your five-minute checklist

• Language chosen, intro done, permissions granted (at least overlay and battery).
• Alert24 lock created and different from your screen lock.
• Motion alarm tested once.
• Home added as a trusted place, automation switched on.
• Signed in with Google and Remote Access activated, if you want remote ring and locate.
• Intruder alert switched on under Intruders Pictures, with device administrator allowed. See who tried to unlock my phone.