Get your device to show you a notification if pollen levels will exceed the concentration limits you set. Simply choose the level and time period for each pollen type and your device will alert you if forecasts indicate that your limits will be exceeded

Source: Android description (translated) / Image: Pixabay

Useful information

Download: Android 5.0 (2.6MB)

Price: free (in-app purchases)

Language: Spanish / English

Runs offline: no

Last update: Android 05/07/2018 (v. 1.19)

Website of the developer: Sulapp

Description

Pollen Alarm Europe is a pollen count app that aims to show you the local pollen forecast. The user can choose to receive this information according to the GPS location or other areas of interest. The application currently collects data on three types of pollen: birch (Betulaceae), grass (Gramineae) and olive (Oleaceae). According to the Sulapp team, new warnings, such as ragweed pollen, will be added in the coming months.

How the app works

First, you must configure your location. You have two options: automatic, via GPS, or manual.

The application has 3 main sections:

  • Home, where you can visualize the expected pollen concentration for each species. The estimated period is from 00 hours (current day) to 96 hours after, in 6-hour ranges. You also have two sliders with which to configure alerts. So, for example, if you suffer from allergy symptoms with a small pollen count, you can set the sliders to notify you of the risk with a small amount of grains per m3. To adjust the value, you can use the color scale included in the app. The second slider is used to set the time period during which you want to keep the alert active.
  • Map, section where you can check the pollen count map forecast for Western Europe (rotate the device to see the map better). With the + and – controls you can observe the expected evolution during the following hours.
  • Cities, section in which you can enter cities that you are interested in monitoring.

Also, from the drop-down menu at the top right you have access to:

  • Help.
  • Settings.
  • Credits, where the methodology is explained and you can see the last date the data was updated.
  • Option to purchase the app.
  • Send comments.
  • Option to share the application on your social networks.

Image gallery

The screenshots correspond to the Android version of the application.

Images: screenshots 16/07/2018. © Sulapp

Video

The video is recorded using the Android version of the application (3 min 05 sec).

More information

Climate change is making your allergies even worse (National Geographic, 08/04/2016)

Pollen overload: seasonal allergies in a changing climate (Environmental Health Perspectives, april 2016)

Rating
4

Analysis

Pollen is considered by many publications as a biological pollutant that can be included among the particles in suspension PM10. In fact, agencies like the EPA consider it as a pollutant that affects indoor air quality. Climate change is also causing an upsurge in the allergenic effect. In this regard, numerous studies suggest that climate change will lead to an increase in the duration and severity of the problems caused by pollen (see linked articles in the “More information” section), which will result in a loss of quality of life for the population currently suffering from pollen allergy.

Taking into account this foreseeable evolution, applications such as the present one, which forecasting pollen levels, become useful tools for the prevention of the most severe effects. Like strong points, the app stands out for its ease of use. The information is updated daily and there is no need to open a user account. As for aspects to improve, it would be interesting to include a little clarification about the functionality of the free version after the trial period (3 weeks). In direct consultation with the Sulapp team, they say that once the time period had elapsed, the app is still operational, although the updates are limited to 48 hours and the sliders corresponding to the alerts cannot be customized.

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User Review
5 (1 vote)
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Técnico de medio ambiente, community manager y content curator especializada en temas de medioambiente - Environmental technician, community manager and content curator specialised in environmental issues