Alert Pollen - An Android App That Alerts You When Pollen Levels Are High
Allergies like hay fever are real problems for millions of people, causing itchy eyes, runny noses and sore throats. Knowing when the pollen levels are high can help you avoid them, by planning your activities accordingly and taking medication if needed.
This free Android app lets you set up alerts based on concentration levels of different types of pollen in your area, a handy tool for anyone suffering from allergies. You can also get other weather information – such as wind speed and temperature – which can affect how much the pollen you breathe in.
To measure the pollen, AirRater and AusPollen use a device called a "Burkard" monitor, which sucks air at a constant rate, reading the particles on a sticky surface. These are then read under a microscope and identified to determine the type of pollen in your local air. The data is updated every day and can be compared to previous days to see how the conditions have changed over time.
The app provides information on 19 different types of pollen and shows them in a chart on the main screen, along with the daily concentration levels. It also offers detailed information on allergy symptoms and how to treat them, plus it allows you to log your symptoms to zero in on the allergens that trigger your reactions.
You can even get push notifications for your selected pollen types, if you want to be notified each day about the current levels and how they might affect you. The app was developed by Norges Astma- og Allergiforbund and is available on the Play Store.