FAQs

1. What is Aloqa and why do I need it?
Aloqa is a mobile service that proactively notifies users about social opportunities such as Facebook friends close by, and recommends interesting places, services and events in their vicinity. Once you download and start Aloqa, you need to just look at your phone and it shows you constantly refreshed, live information about people, places and events based on your location, profile, preferences and social relationships

When you change locations, Aloqa refreshes itself automatically and notifies you of the relevant set of services, points of interest, events, and friends close to your new location. Wherever you are, whenever you go.

2. How does Aloqa work?
Aloqa is very good at "pushing" interesting notifications to your phone based on a rough understanding of where you are in real time, but without ever recording where you are. We have partnered with a number of content providers and services like Facebook Connect that are "location relevant". So based on where you are, we are able to intelligently deliver relevant information or services relevant to your location on your phone. One way to think about the service is that it works like a top-notch real-life assistant would - "I know my boss is roughly around New York's Greenwich village, or around SF's SOMA district or close to Munich's Beer Garden. So even before he asks, let me just be proactive and send him a list of interesting coffee shops, restaurants, what people are Twittering about close by. He can use what he wants and ignore what he doesn’t". The difference between us and a human assistant is of course that we are ALWAYS at your service, get no days off and never fall sick.

3. Which geographies does Aloqa work in?
In the US, Germany, UK, Canada, and Austria for now. We plan to expand to other geographies soon.

4. Where can I download Aloqa?
Aloqa is available in the iPhone Appstore, the Android Marketplace, Blackberry, Nokia and Sony phones. For a full list please go to http://www.aloqa.com/myAloqa/download for more details

5. I can't see any channels when I download Aloqa. What do I do?
- Please make sure your phone is able to access the Internet. If not, please wait till you are somewhere you can and try again
- If you can access the internet but still don't see anything, just try closing and restarting Aloqa
- If that doesn't work, please email us at feedback@aloqa.com and tell us what the issue is

6. What phones does Aloqa work on?
Aloqa works on the iPhone, Android, and select Blackberries. Please go to http://www.aloqa.com/myAloqa/download for more details

7. How much does it cost?
Aloqa is free and doesn't cost you anything. If you chose to, you can buy individual premium applications through appstores or on Aloqa.com and add them to your Aloqa client, you can, but the basic Aloqa service does not cost you anything.

8. Do I get charged for data transfers done by Aloqa?
There are no incremental data charges for Aloqa beyond the standard charges depending on your data plan with your carrier. For example if you have an unlimited data plan you will not incur any charges. If you have a limited data plan please check with your carrier

9. The Aloqa app I downloaded came with some channels. Can I add more?
Yes, we have a whole list of available channels at: http://www.aloqa.com/myAloqa/Channel-Store. In order to add more, please go to "Menu" on your phone and select + (add). On the iPhone, go to the main screen under "Notifications"

10. I can't see any channels. What do I do?
- Please make sure your phone is able to access the Internet. If not, please wait till you are somewhere you can and try again
- If you can access the internet but still don't see anything, just try closing and restarting Aloqa
- If that doesn't work, please email us at feedback@aloqa.com and tell us what the issue is

11. How do I change my notification setting?
Please see: http://www.aloqa.com/myaloqa/settings

12. You say you ensure my privacy. But don't you or the services on Aloqa always know where I am?
The way our service works is when your phone roughly detects where you are, we use that knowledge to "push" out relevant events and services to your phone, and then update the content if it changes. So unlike other mobile locations services we dont need precise user location to bring value. Any learning we use is based on aggregated, anonymous user behaviors in order to improve the quality of service we provide our users. Also, participating services and content providers are never informed of where you are. In fact even if you have given explicit permission to services like "friend finders", if these services are built on Aloqa, we don't automatically give them your location information because we can detect proximity between mobile users without either party knowing where the other one is.

13. I have a great idea and / or feedback for Aloqa. What do I do?
our global team of engineers and scientists would love to get your feedback. Please email us your input at feedback@aloqa.com.

And if you like our service, please recommend Aloqa to a friend.