Anchor Watch / SMS / Alarm

Good app, easy to set up. The only downside is that the alarm goes off when the GPS signal is lost. Obviously it needs the GPS for it to function but perhaps there could be a delay whilst the app tries to require the signal before setting off the alarm - it could even be user defined. At the least there could be a different alarm for this event rather than the siren that goes off! Currently it's a bit like the app that cried wolf!

I use the paid version of this app every day.on my UMIDIGI phone and my Samsung tablet. The free version works fine, too, but I figure I should support the developer. The app has its learning curve and some of the settings are not well documented so don't expect to go out and anchor and sleep well until you have verified that you set it up right and have had it running a few hours with the phone sitting untouched. The device should be charging all night for best reliability and least disturbance due to spurious alarms for battery and GPS sleeping on standby. There are a few annoyances but I have found this app to be reliable, especially with a backup device running, too.

Originally I loved the app, easy to understand and use in every way, but the alarm kept going off all night. I widened the parameters significantly including delaying the alarm in case I lost the GPS signal and it continued to alarm seemingly for no reason. I decided to set the alarm when I was tied up to the dock. I couldn't have moved more than a foot, it eventually alarmed anyway. So I turned it off. I don't actually know if it was the app or my cheesy phone. I just know it didn't work.

Update to last - thanks for your advice by email, it seems a bit of a work around but the app all seems to be working now, thanks for your help i will give the Lite version a try for a while then upgrade if i get on well with it. Thanks for all your help and advice. . Thanks for your prompt and very helpful suggestions, i will try the suggested fixes and report back, some of the options look very promising but i am very impressed with the level of support offered by this vendor. Thanks nice app but i cant make it work on any of my samsung devices, even after ticking the "keep screen on" box the screen switches off after a few hours (whilst on charge) and the alarm stops working, when i wake the device up the alarm goes off. i understand this is probably a android issue but it still makes the app useless.

First sailboat, first app. Without it isn't an option. I'm sure the pro is better but this is an incredible app. Remember, your scope needs to be changed by you. If you have a hundred foot of chain out.... It's going to go off as soon as you swing and trust me, you won't sleep through the alarm. It even restarts to break an alarm pattern. Kudos to whomever coded this app. It's a 10.(it's actually so accurate that if you leave it's hard to turn it off).

I have just started using the app & it looks promising. HOWEVER! Why no written instructions? I still have a headache from watching the painful "Help Video". It might cover everything, but it's marketing not "Help". Just a simple doc that explains each field and how to use it is all that is required, spare us the promotional material. No one needs to be sold to after they've downloaded. No big surprise then that half the negative reviews are from people who aren't using the app correctly.

Just started using it. Setup was a little confusing, but I figured it out. It was just what I was looking for. Place your anchors position, and then create a circle around it that is bigger than your distance from the anchor. That way, as long as you stay inside the circle, wind shifts do not matter.

Just received your reply, and I will reinstall and try that again. Thank you, looks like a great app. Looked good, but could not seem to shut the app down. In fact hours after I had tried to shut it down, it gave me a message that it was one of the apps that was still using battery power. Sorry, looked like it was a good app but I uninstalled. LG V20 Verizon

Excellent. Always works and I feel more comfortable going to sleep when anchored and the alarm is set. Easy ro use Down side is having to keep the screen on all the time. But that is Googles fault no the app.

Don't give us phrases like:"We're always making changes and improvements"-TELL US WHAT THEY ARE!!! Last disappointmed was (time ago), when you canceled the phone SMS alert.... And please, do not give us: "Required by Google." Me and my boats have been with this app before you started it on Google apps, and later on. Never so restricted so far! Never poorer as it is now! If you want to promote it (on regular basis), let it be as if was, when we trusted and relied our lives & boats on your app!

We were trying to Anchor at South Manitou Island in Michigan and heavy winds were not really expected there was supposed to be a wind shifts. well the wind blew us right over anchor and we were dragging and it became a pretty bad situation. this app really let me know that my intuition was correct.

I've downloaded it and used it to check whether my desk was moving. So far so good. I really like the way the document on Google Play explains why they need permissions for various things on my phone. I had a bit of confusion between this and another similarly named Ap. Nace in support of Peckish Sloth was patient and clear in getting me squared away. One feature I like is that it permits me to tell the app the direction in which my anchor is set by pointing my phone in that direction. I'll be trying it out at anchor next weekend. I'll let you know if my anchor drags.

This app was great at first but last 4 or 5 times I've tried to use it the alarm goes off all the time... even though I can see we haven't moved.

It's good. realize your phone's GPS is only accurate to about 15ish meters, and if you set the alarm under that you will be waking frequently without cause. It's a good app.

DANGEROUS!!!!! do not use. alarm only goes off if you unlock your phone. effectively useless. should not release this on android if it doesn't work. developer could have added keep alive functionality but you didnt and release it half baked anyway

Remote device alarm would be perfect feature if you can add. Happily using it. But sometimes I go to my friend's boat and wish I could see what is my boat anchor status.

The best anchor alarm I have ever used. Have tried many in the past that have always alarmed incorrectly. This one works like a charm!

The features are nicely done. But the app only works if you keep your screen on and the app in the foreground, which makes it useless for me.

So far this app has been great! I've only used it twice so far but I'm really impressed at how easy and powerful it is. I don't really need the features of the paid version, but I'll probably put some money down on it just to support the developer.

really good app. shame about the sms function being removed by Google. was very useful when going ashore to leave one phone on board and received a sms if the alarm went off. poor form Google 😡

Absolutely brilliant. Simple user interface. Offers everything it says plus more. 10 out of 10 would recommend.

This is a very useful app. with a user friendly menu. It is simple to use yet very effective. It does use power from your device so you'll need a daily charging method.

simple to use and added reassurance to a night with 55 knot gusts. A graphic plot of the boats swinging movements would be a nice addition.

Does not quite do it for you, the gps sync inside is not that good and the boats movement is not really followed. Drains your battery.

Very accurate. Great features for stationary or swinging in a mooring field. Very reliable.

The app helped us to sleep tight onboard while anchored in Brazil. The alarm works fine,is simple and effective.

Does what it says. Android restrictions aren't helping, so I need to keep my phone plugged in when using tis app, but so far irmt seems reliable enough..

The program doesn't know to use external GPS sources from NMEA over WiFi. External GPS usually more precise and less volatile than the embedded in the phone.