Noise Alert App: Get Warned When It Gets Too Loud

Q: Can the app alert me when I'm in another app?

Only with Premium. Turn on Background Monitoring and the meter keeps listening after you leave the app; a notification tells you each time your threshold is crossed. Allow notifications when the app asks.

Q: Why didn't I get a notification?

Check that you have Premium, that both Noise Alerts and Background Monitoring are on, and that notifications are allowed for the app. Notifications also come at most once every 30 seconds, even if the noise continues.

What does a noise level alarm do?

That's the whole point: you set a limit, and instead of watching the screen you get a signal the moment it's crossed. Handy at a party, near a sleeping baby, or when you want to know the second the neighbours start again.

How to set up noise alerts

On the Meter tab, tap the gear button to open Settings.
Turn on Noise Alerts. It is off by default.
Check Threshold. In the free version it is fixed at 85 dB and reads 85 dB (OSHA limit); Custom opens Premium. With Premium, a slider sets any level from 40 to 120 dB in 5 dB steps.
Leave Vibrate on Alert on if you want a buzz as well as the flash.
Go back to the Meter tab and keep it running. When the level passes the limit, a red overlay with the reading and "Exceeds 85 dB" (or your own threshold) flashes for about 1.2 seconds, at most once every 2 seconds.

A note on that label: 85 dBA is the NIOSH recommended limit and the OSHA action level. The OSHA permissible limit for 8 hours is 90 dBA.

Alerts in the background with Premium

Normal alerts need the meter running in the app. Background Monitoring, in the Background section of Settings, keeps listening after you switch apps and sends a notification titled "Noise Alert" when the level passes your threshold, at most once every 30 seconds. It works through the same switch and threshold, so Noise Alerts must stay on. The app asks for notification permission when you turn it on, and the notification text is in English.

Free and Premium alerts compared

What each version does
	Free	Premium
Red flash and vibration	Yes	Yes
Threshold	Fixed at 85 dB	40 to 120 dB in 5 dB steps
Keeps listening in the background	No	Yes, with Background Monitoring
Notification	No	Yes, at most one every 30 s

Which threshold should you choose?

Set it by what you measured, not by a number you read somewhere. Record a normal session first, look at AVG and MAX, and put the threshold a little above the normal maximum so only real events trigger it. As a starting point, using the app's own reference levels:

Starting points (anything other than 85 dB needs Premium)
Situation	Threshold to try	Why
Workshop, drums, power tools	85 dB	The NIOSH limit for 8 hours a day
Party or loud music at home	75 to 80 dB	Up to Busy Street / Alarm Clock level (80 dB)
Classroom or open office	65 to 70 dB	Above Normal Conversation (60 dB), up to Vacuum Cleaner (70 dB)
Nursery or bedroom	45 to 50 dB	Around Moderate Rainfall (50 dB)

Honest limits

The free fixed 85 dB is too high for a quiet classroom or a bedroom; a lower limit needs Premium.
It is a meter with a red flash, not a classroom display with characters, bubbles or a traffic light for pupils.
Without Premium, alerts only work while the meter is running in the app.
There is no Apple Watch app, so alerts don't reach your wrist.
Very loud, short bangs read low because phone microphones clip.

Questions and answers

Are noise alerts free?

Yes, at a fixed 85 dB with a red flash and optional vibration while the meter runs. Choosing your own threshold and getting notifications in the background are Premium.

Can the app alert me when I'm in another app?

Only with Premium. Turn on Background Monitoring and the meter keeps listening after you leave the app; a notification tells you each time your threshold is crossed. Allow notifications when the app asks.

Can I use it as a classroom noise meter with an alarm?

Yes, with Premium, set around 65 to 70 dB and keep the meter on screen. In the free version the 85 dB alarm will almost never trigger in a classroom.

Why didn't I get a notification?

Check that you have Premium, that both Noise Alerts and Background Monitoring are on, and that notifications are allowed for the app. Notifications also come at most once every 30 seconds, even if the noise continues.

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Noise alert app: get warned when it gets too loud