Hoolu

Support

Answers to the most common questions. Still stuck? Write to us.

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To help us help you

  • your phone model and system version;
  • the app version (shown at the bottom of Settings);
  • what you did and what happened;
  • a screenshot if possible.

Getting started

Turn listening on from the home screen. When you can't find your phone, clap twice or whistle: Hoolu makes it ring, flash and vibrate until you stop the alert. A small notification shows while Hoolu is listening.

No. Sound is analysed on your phone, about one second at a time, only to recognise a clap or a whistle. Nothing is recorded, stored or sent. See the privacy policy.

The introduction ends with a short test: whistle or clap twice and Hoolu shows that it heard you, without ringing. Afterwards, put your phone a few metres away with listening on, and clap twice or whistle.

Detection

Check that listening is on (the home screen says it is listening) and that quiet hours are not active. Clap twice, sharply, about half a second apart, or whistle a clear note for a second. If your phone is in a bag, a pocket or under a pillow, get a little closer. You can make it more sensitive in Settings › Clap & whistle › How easily it hears you.

Android's battery saving can close apps in the background. Turn on Settings › Background listening and allow Hoolu to run without battery restrictions. Some manufacturers (Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, OnePlus…) have extra settings: see dontkillmyapp.com for your phone.

Some sounds look like claps or whistles (cutlery, music, a TV). Choose Balanced in Settings › Clap & whistle › How easily it hears you, turn on Pause while I use my phone, or set Quiet hours for the night or for meetings.

Android does not let apps turn the microphone back on by themselves after a restart. Hoolu shows a notification: tap it to start listening again.

Motion guard and sounds

Arm it, put your phone down, and it sounds an alert as soon as someone picks it up or moves it, after a short countdown that lets you step away. Only one mode runs at a time: arming Motion guard pauses clap and whistle listening. It is a deterrent, not an anti-theft system.

Open a sound and tap Make it my ringtone. The first time, Android asks you to let Hoolu change system settings: this permission is used only to change your ringtone.

Hoolu Premium

Premium is full access to Hoolu: listening for claps and whistles, Motion guard, all sounds and settings. There are no ads. It starts with a 7-day free trial, then continues as a yearly subscription unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends. Without an active trial or subscription, the app only shows the subscription screen. See the terms of use.

Subscriptions are managed by your store. On Android: Google Play › your profile › Payments & subscriptions › Subscriptions. On iPhone or iPad: Settings › your name › Subscriptions. In Hoolu, Settings › App › Hoolu Premium opens this page directly. Uninstalling the app does not cancel a subscription.

Sign in to the same Google Play or Apple account, then tap Restore purchase on the subscription screen.

Payments are processed by Google or Apple, so refunds follow their policies. Request one from Google Play or at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Hoolu shows no ads, but we advertise Hoolu on Facebook and Instagram. This setting lets Meta tell us which of our ads brought you to the app (install, free trial, subscription). It is on by default; turn off Settings › App › Ad campaign measurement to object. See the privacy policy.