KinwarnCompare
How the ways to get tornado warnings compare
Each kind of alert covers part of the job. Use more than one. Here is how each kind works for a family spread across several homes.
| Emergency alerts on your phone (WEA) | Weather apps | Family location apps | Weather call services | Kinwarn | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works for a home you are not at | No: broadcast to phones in the warned area | Depends on the app | Follows where each phone is | Depends on the service | Yes: any address you save |
| What is checked | Where the phone is | Depends on the app | Where each family member’s phone is | Depends on the service | The exact address against the warning outline |
| Family member needs a smartphone | A phone that supports emergency alerts | Yes | Yes, with the app and location sharing | No, a phone call works on any phone | No |
| Phone call for the most dangerous warnings | No | Depends on the app | Depends on the app | Yes | Yes, with Pro |
| Cost | Free | Depends on the app | Depends on the app | Depends on the service | Free for 2 places; Pro $5.99 a month or $39.99 a year |
Products in each group differ, so this table only says what follows from how each kind works. Wireless Emergency Alerts are free alerts from government agencies, broadcast from cell towers to phones in the warned area.
What we recommend
- Keep Wireless Emergency Alerts on, on every phone in the family. They are free and official.
- Keep a NOAA Weather Radio in homes where people sleep, especially for older relatives.
- Use Kinwarn to watch the homes of family who live somewhere else, and to call them when minutes matter.
Read more: how to get tornado warnings.
Get alerts for Mom’s house, not just yours.
Kinwarn for iPhone watches the exact addresses of the people you love and alerts you when a National Weather Service warning covers them. Alerts for 2 places are free. With Kinwarn Pro, Kinwarn also calls family for the most dangerous warnings.
Coming soon to the App Store · iPhoneKinwarn adds to official alerts. Keep Wireless Emergency Alerts on.