The Future

With this advancement, we can't wait to offer SW+ Alerts users – and all StormWatch+ app users – new and improved features and experiences. There's a lot in store for you in 2021 that we're excited to share soon!

Audio tones emanate from SW+ Alerts (commonly called "wake-me-up alerts") when a Tornado or Severe Thunderstorm Warning is issued for a location being monitored by your device. There have been many question about whether wake-me-up alerts can be heard if one's device is silenced or on Do Not Disturb. iOS devices and Android devices work differently. Let's take them one at a time.

iPhones/iPads
As of StormWatch+ version 4.1.0, released in the spring of 2020, Apple has granted "Critical Alerts" status to SW+ Alerts. This means that warnings that require immediate action to protect life and property (Tornado Warnings and Severe Thunderstorm Warnings) will override devices that are silenced, muted, or on Do Not Disturb, sending a loud "wake-me-up" audio tone.
 
You must have granted the app permission to sound Critical Alerts when you installed/updated to this version of the app. To check whether Critical Alerts are enabled, open your device's Settings app, scroll down and tap StormWatch+, then Notifications, then turn ON "Allow Critical Alerts."​

Since the initial release of the StormWatch+ mobile app in 2012, we have charged a one-time flat fee for the ability to receive life-saving severe weather alerts pushed to the app. The service has generally been very reliable and is one of the fastest ways to receive mobile app-based weather alerts on the market today. Over the intervening years, we have continued to upgrade back-end processes and hardware, as well as communication channels with the app, to bolster the reliability of the service even further. We are proud that we have achieved 99.95% uptime and delivery of weather alerts to our users, providing a stable and lightning fast delivery service.

This level of service and the infrastructure to support it, however, does not come without a price. In fact, we incur ongoing monthly and annual expenses to maintain the servers, processing, and app updates necessary to maintain high reliability and support new development, even if the weather is quiet! 

In addition, Cirrus Weather Solutions, LLC is a micro-business and does not have large corporate backing that allows us to subsidize one product on the back of another. We also do NOT place ads in our apps (or to charge you to remove them) because we believe that you are looking for great content in a straight-forward and easy-to-use interface uncluttered by advertisements. Finally, because we value your privacy over a little profit, we have made the intentional decision NOT to sell your data to any third party in exchange for some gain (monetary or otherwise) on our part. Period. (See our straight-forward Privacy Policy here.) You will not find a mobile weather alert app on the market that provides an alert service like ours for free that does not either fill it with ads or sell your data. It simply does not exist.

Therefore, effective with the release of StormWatch+ 4.0, while the base app will remain free to download, the SW+ Alerts service will become subscription-based rather than a one-time charge. This transition will allow us to continue to provide the highest level of service that both you, and us, require, while also allowing us to continue to keep the app ad-free, protect your data, and develop new features for the app going forward. And the roadmap is full of exciting new ideas that we know you will use and appreciate, including an Android app early in 2020! Many of these updates will come on the heels of a strong investment we have made in version 4.0 of StormWatch+.

As far as pricing, SW+ Alerts will be offered both as a monthly subscription for a minimal charge, or as an annual subscription, which will be discounted over paying monthly for an entire year. In addition, we are offering a discounted rate on annual subscriptions for a limited time to encourage new users to sign up.

As for those who already have the app and have previously purchased SW+ Alerts for a one-time fee, you will not be required to transition to the subscription based plan. Your one-time purchase will entitle you to lifetime alerts at no additional cost, unless you change the account you use with the App Store and thus are required to re-purchase SW+ Alerts at a later time. This includes restoring of a previous one-time purchase on a new device, as long as the same App Store account is used. 

Unfortunately, Apple requires separate purchases to be made on new App Store accounts for any and all apps and in-app purchases. We greatly appreciate all of you who have supported Cirrus Weather Solutions over the past 7 years by downloading the StormWatch+ app and purchasing the in-app upgrade to receive weather alerts. 

For new users, we hope that you understand the reasoning for our new pricing plans and trust that you will find the service well worth the minimal cost to ensure peace of mind when severe weather threatens.
​
As always, thank you for your support and understanding!

Erik Proseus
Owner and Meteorologist
Cirrus Weather Solutions, LLC