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Installing on the home screen

George Markatatos·Updated

AlarmBee does not have to be downloaded from a store. It is a Progressive Web App: it opens in the browser and goes onto the home screen as a normal icon. Two minutes, once.

Two routes, one service

  • PWA from the browser — works on Android and iPhone, no app store involved. That is what this guide covers.
  • Android app — useful when Family Link will not let the PWA install, and on the parent device so the siren can sound with the app closed. It is in closed testing.

What "PWA" actually means

It means the app is a website that behaves like an app: its own icon, full screen without an address bar, notification support, and it updates itself. The upsides: no app store approval, no updates to download, and no app demanding dozens of permissions. The downside: the browser imposes some limits, and we are explicit about them below.

Android (Chrome, Edge, Firefox)

  1. On the child's phone open the browser and go to app.alarmbee.gr.
  2. Enter the 6-character family code, or tap the invitation link you received by email.
  3. An "Install app" banner should appear. If it doesn't, use the three-dot menu → Add to Home screen / Install app.
  4. Open the new icon, tap ACTIVATE and allow location and camera.

iPhone and iPad (Safari)

On iOS, installing works only from Safari — Chrome and Firefox don't offer it.

  1. Open app.alarmbee.gr in Safari.
  2. Tap the Share button (the square with an arrow).
  3. Scroll down and choose Add to Home Screen.
  4. Open the icon and grant the permissions.

Honestly, about iPhone: the child's button works, location and photos are sent. But Safari exposes neither battery percentage nor network type, so those two fields will be missing. For the parent device we recommend Android, where sound and notifications are clearly more reliable.

If the install button never appears

This usually happens on supervised accounts with Google Family Link. You have three options:

  • Try Firefox or Edge on the child's phone. Family Link's Chrome restrictions do not apply to other browsers. Firefox, however, sends no battery level.
  • Don't install at all. AlarmBee works fully from a plain tab: alarm, location, photos, email. You only lose the icon.
  • Create the shortcut manually: bookmark the page and use "Add to Home screen" from the bookmarks list, or your launcher's shortcut widget.

All Family Link settings are covered in the dedicated guide.

On the parent's device

Same procedure, from parent.alarmbee.gr. There is one extra step worth doing: allow notifications. Without them you get no push while the app is closed and are left with email only.

What no PWA can do

It cannot play a continuous loud siren while fully closed. No browser app can, on any operating system. The push notification wakes the device and chimes, but the looping siren starts when the app opens. That is why we always send an email with the full evidence too.

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