BijliWatch Support

About BijliWatch

BijliWatch is your community-powered power outage tracker. Stay informed about electricity outages in your area, receive real-time alerts, and contribute to the community by reporting outages you experience.

Key Features

• Real-Time Outage Map: See current power outages in your area on an interactive map
• Push Notifications: Get instant alerts when outages are reported or restored
• Community Reports: Submit and view user-reported outages
• Scheduled Outages: View planned maintenance and load shedding schedules (where available)
• Multiple Areas: Track outages in multiple locations (home, work, family)
• Outage History: Review past outages to identify patterns
• Offline Mode: View recent data even without internet connection

Getting Started

First Time Setup

1. Download and install BijliWatch
2. Open the app and choose your location method:
   • Allow location access (recommended for automatic detection)
   • Or manually enter your area/neighborhood
3. Enable push notifications to receive outage alerts
4. Optionally create an account to save preferences and follow multiple areas

How to Report an Outage

1. Open BijliWatch
2. Tap the "Report Outage" button
3. Confirm your area or select the affected area on the map
4. Add any additional details (optional)
5. Submit the report

Note: Only report when your power is actually out. False reports harm the community.

How to Report Power Restoration

1. Tap on an active outage in your area
2. Select "Power Restored"
3. Confirm the restoration

Your restoration report helps others in your area know the outage is resolved.

Frequently Asked Questions

Using the App

How accurate is the outage information?

BijliWatch relies on community reports, so accuracy depends on users like you reporting outages and restorations promptly. We verify reports by cross-referencing multiple submissions from the same area. The more users in your area, the more accurate the data.

Why isn't my outage showing on the map?

If you're experiencing an outage that's not shown:

• You may be the first to experience it—submit a report!
• Your area might not have many active users yet
• There may be a delay in report processing

I'm not receiving notifications. What should I do?

Check these settings:

• BijliWatch notifications are enabled in the app (Settings > Notifications)
• Your device allows notifications from BijliWatch (phone Settings > Notifications)
• You've selected at least one area to follow
• Your notification preferences are configured (check "Quiet Hours" settings)
• On Android: BijliWatch isn't being battery optimized (may block notifications)

Can I track multiple locations?

Yes! Tap "Add Location" in Settings to follow additional areas. This is great for tracking outages at home, work, or where family lives. You'll receive notifications for all tracked locations.

What's the difference between an "outage" and "scheduled maintenance"?

• Outage: Unexpected power loss reported by the community
• Scheduled Maintenance: Planned power cuts announced by utility companies (shown in a different color)

Reporting & Data

Do I need an account to report outages?

No, you can report outages as a guest. However, creating an account lets you:

• View your report history
• Build a reputation as a reliable reporter
• Edit or delete your reports
• Follow multiple areas

How long do reports stay on the map?

Outage reports remain active until:

• Multiple users report power restoration in that area
• The system automatically marks it resolved after extended time with no activity
• Our moderation team verifies it's no longer active

Historical data is archived and can be viewed in the "History" section.

I reported an outage by mistake. Can I delete it?

Yes! If you have an account:

1. Go to Settings > My Reports
2. Find the report you want to remove
3. Tap "Delete Report"

Note: You can only delete reports within 24 hours of submission.

Someone reported a false outage. What should I do?

If you see a false report:

• Tap on the report and select "Mark as Inaccurate"
• If it's clearly spam or abuse, select "Report Abuse"
• Our system tracks accuracy, and users with frequent false reports may be restricted

Location & Privacy

Does BijliWatch track my exact location?

No. BijliWatch only uses approximate location (neighborhood or area level), not GPS coordinates. We don't continuously track your location or create a location history. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Can I use BijliWatch without sharing my location?

Yes! You can manually enter your area or select it on the map. You won't get automatic area detection, but all other features work normally.

Are my reports anonymous?

Yes. When you submit a report, other users see the report location and time, but not your name or account details. Your reports are anonymous to the community.

Technical Issues

The map isn't loading or showing blank.

Try these solutions:

• Check your internet connection
• Make sure location services are enabled
• Update BijliWatch to the latest version
• Restart the app
• Clear app cache (Settings > Storage > Clear Cache)

The app says "No data available for your area."

This means:

• There are currently no reported outages in your area (good news!)
• Your area may not have many BijliWatch users yet—invite friends and neighbors!
• Location detection may be incorrect—try manually selecting your area

Notifications are delayed or not real-time.

Notification timing depends on:

• Your device's notification settings
• Network connectivity
• Battery optimization settings (disable for BijliWatch to get real-time alerts)

On Android: Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Optimization and set BijliWatch to "Don't optimize."

The app is draining my battery.

BijliWatch is designed to be battery-efficient. If you notice high battery usage:

• Disable "Background Refresh" if you don't need real-time updates
• Reduce the number of tracked locations
• Turn off "Frequent Updates" in Settings
• Update to the latest version (may include battery optimizations)

Account & Settings

How do I change my tracked areas?

Go to Settings > My Locations. From there you can:

• Add new locations
• Remove tracked locations
• Rename locations (e.g., "Home," "Office")
• Set a primary location

How do I delete my account?

Go to Settings > Account > Delete Account. This will permanently remove your data, including report history and preferences.

Can I export my outage data?

Yes! Go to Settings > Export Data to download a CSV file of outage history for your tracked areas. Useful for analyzing patterns or reporting to your utility company.

Troubleshooting

Location Not Detected

• Enable location services for BijliWatch in your phone's settings
• Make sure you granted permission when prompted
• Try manually selecting your area as an alternative

Reports Not Submitting

• Check your internet connection
• Make sure you've selected an area
• Update the app if you're using an older version
• Try again after a few minutes (server may be busy)

Incorrect Outage Data

• Data is crowdsourced and may not always be accurate
• Mark inaccurate reports to improve data quality
• Submit your own report to provide accurate information
• Verify critical information with your utility provider

Understanding the Data

Report Confidence Levels

Reports are marked with confidence indicators:

• Single Report: One user reported this outage
• Confirmed: Multiple users reported the same outage
• Official: Data from utility company or government source

Outage Status Colors

• Red: Active outage
• Orange: Partial restoration or unconfirmed
• Yellow: Scheduled maintenance
• Green: Power restored

Community Guidelines

BijliWatch works best when everyone contributes accurately:

• Only report real outages—false reports harm the community
• Report restorations when your power comes back
• Mark inaccurate reports to maintain data quality
• Be respectful in any community interactions

Users with repeated false reports may have reporting privileges restricted.

About Our Data

Important disclaimer: BijliWatch is not affiliated with any utility company. Data is crowdsourced from users and may not always be accurate or complete. For official information, always contact your utility provider.

We do our best to verify reports and maintain data quality, but we cannot guarantee accuracy. Use BijliWatch as a helpful tool, not as your sole source of information for critical decisions.

Privacy & Data

We take your privacy seriously. Your location data is used only to show relevant outage information and is not permanently stored. For complete details, see our BijliWatch Privacy Policy.

Feature Requests

Have ideas for making BijliWatch better? We'd love to hear them!

Email us at support@barqmedia.com with "BijliWatch Feature Request" in the subject line.

Contact Support

Need help with BijliWatch?

Email: support@barqmedia.com
Subject line: "BijliWatch Support - [Brief description]"

Please include:

• Your device type and OS version
• BijliWatch app version (Settings > About)
• Description of the issue
• Your approximate location (area/city, not exact address)
• Screenshots if applicable

We typically respond within 24-48 hours.