As a new user of Trusted House Sitters and only using a phone I’m struggling with the app.
Looking for how to set up an alert I have found the forum link to do this one the website but not on the app
If someone can send me the step to step how that would be great
I have only experience with the iPhone app (the android one is sometimes a bit different and several users have told about glitches, some say that they never get notifications).
You can get alerts for Saved searches that you create on the app. Saved searches that are created in the web interface do not do that, those should generate an email that THS sends you in your local evening.
To create a Saved search in the app, click “Find a sit” (bottom left of the home screen), write a country or city in the search line. Then in the next screen there is at the bottom " 
View map/ 
Save search". Press to save. Then soon notifications should come in.
There are also notifications in the app for new dates on listings that you favourited (by clicking the 
symbol). I think those are generated regardless of whether the favourite was created in the app or the web interface (but I am not completely certain).
Edit #2: I tested saving a search for “United Kingdom” and alerts are coming in.
1 Like
There are long standing problems with alerts on Android phones (for both saved searches and favorited sits.) If you search the forum you will see the situation.
I am UNABLE to even SEE the THS App in my list of Apps on my phone to turn on notifications. I have no reason to think that the tech folks are working on this. Maybe they plan to surprise us.
I am both a homeowner and sitter. I may not renew my memberships in the future since I am unable to apply for popular sits that are long gone before I see them thanks to the arbitrary 5 application limit. (I check the site 3x per day, but I do have a job and a life.)
THS has been a wonderful opportunity for me, but its value is significantly decreased as a result of these two problems. I hope you find a way to make it work for you.
It is so helpful to explain the steps. You tech know how us much appreciated. May I ask why, whenever you respond to this question, you never mention even in a footnote, the long standing problem reported by Android users? Although you don’t experience this personally you do know about it and have seen screenshots that I have shared. It feels a little gaslighting and so I always have to add my experience to counter yours. Just curious. Can we cooperate on this?
@Shella_in_the_Forum : I did mention the problems. Not in a footnote but parenthetically in my first sentence.
If the OP had an android where this did not work I would have told more about the longstanding issues that I had read about.
I am often very critical of the THS software in my writings on this forum. I did not think this thread was the place to be too explicit about that, but I did once again write about inconsistencies and lack of documentation. I also wrote what “should” happen. I know that it does not always work. That is why I tested. In fact, I do get a feeling now that I am getting only a fraction of the notification that should go out for the UK.
Yes, I would love to cooperate. On this forum, one could organize some crowd testing. What notifications do people get? With what delays?
2 Likes
@pietkuip I apologize for not seeing that you mentioned the Android problems. I don’t know how I missed it. I appreciate it! I would happily help test notifications but since I don’t get any at all on my phone, I can’t help with that. Have a good day and thabks again for your tech assistance!
@Shella_in_the_Forum : But you also had a homeowner membership, you can generate notifications by posting new dates on your listing.
My idea is the following. You announce in a new thread a test with at what exact day and time you would post new dates. A bunch of forum members that are sitters could mark your listing as a favourite and your town as a Saved search in the app. And then we sitters would report in the thread if we got notified, with the time delays of these two different methods, with information of what operating system we were using.
I’m in. We need to do our own testing since THS does not seem to be forthcoming about the results of their testing.
Okay. I can do that. Let me put my HO link in my profile here and then I will start the thread. First a few folks should favorite me. Then I will post some made up dates. Anything else?
Have to figure out again how to add a link… sigh.
I do not know what this looks like on the HO side.
On the sitter web interface, one goes to one’s dashboard, scroll down, and then on one’s image there is a link on one’s profile image to “Preview”.
Yes thanks. Will do this when I turn on my computer. I do wish we could have both links in our profile, especially since this isn’t intuitive. 
@pietkuip @weirdholyman and anyone else who wants to test the alerts received…
I just put the link to my listing in my profile here on the forum. I think the idea is that you will favorite it (maybe also create a search that will capture it), and then I will announce some mock-dates. Be sure to turn on notifications on your various devices, if you are able. @pietkuip is this what you have in mind?
Cheers.
@Shella_in_the_Forum Yes, exactly.
I have now favourited your listing in the web interface. And in the app I have added a Saved search for Oakland, CA.
It is important to create the Saved search in the app. (If people do that in the web interface, it will only generate an alert in the daily email in local evening.)
For favouriting, I do not think it matters in what interface one does that but I am not absolutely sure. This is a way to find out! Anyway, it is quite difficult to find in the app a listing that does not have dates.
I hope there will be lots of participants!
I have created my saved search for Oakland, and favorited your listing. Both using the mobile app. @Shella_in_the_Forum Thanks for setting this up.
I have done both too. 
I will post the dates tomorrow morning and will give the precise time then. (I cannot believe we can’t post dates using the app! Will do it when my computer is on again. Wow.) Thanks!
2 Likes
@Shannon @pietkuip @weirdholyman
I just posted dates on my listing. I clicked save at 1:22 pm BST/5:22 am PST. Let us know what you receive when. And let us know what kind of phone you are using. Thanks!