Open Window Alert

A window left open.
Rain on the way.
BetterKey tells you.

You closed up the car and walked away.
Did you remember the back window?
Rain is on the way.

When precipitation is on its way to where your car is parked, and a window is reported open, BetterKey gives you time to act.
Here’s how it works →

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Quiet by default. Loud when it matters.

A window left open by itself isn't a problem. Open Window Alert only steps in when weather and open windows overlap. That means your car is parked, the forecast for that exact spot has precipitation coming, and your car is reporting at least one window open. Anything less and it stays out of your way.

What it checks

Where your car is. Built on Park Location, so the forecast is for the spot where your car is parked, not where your phone happens to be.
What the sky is doing. WeatherKit's hourly precipitation forecast for the next few hours at that coordinate. Rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain. If it's coming, BetterKey lets you know.
What your car is saying. The window status reported by the car itself. If everything is closed, no alert.

BetterKey lock screen showing an Open Window Alert notification

You decide when it's on

Open Window Alert stays off until you switch it on. The toggle lives in Settings, right next to Park Location. The first time you flip it on, BetterKey asks you to turn on Park Location too. That's how BetterKey knows where your car is parked. Turn either off and Open Window Alert quietly stops.

A few things worth knowing

Your parking location stays on your device. The forecast lookup happens locally; nothing about where your car is leaves your phone.
BetterKey won’t repeatedly alert you about the same weather event.
The notification tells you how many windows are open, when the precipitation is expected, and when the car last reported its window state, so you can decide what to do with that.

Windows at a glance

Add the Window Status widget and BetterKey shows whether any of the car’s windows are open, on your Home Screen or Lock Screen. A check mark means every one is closed. A count means that many are still open, next to how recently the car reported in.

Tap either surface to open BetterKey on that car. See the owner’s manual for supported sizes and freshness details.

BetterKey Window Status widget on the iPhone Home Screen showing two open windows on a Subaru Forester

FAQs

What is Open Window Alert? +

Open Window Alert notifies you when precipitation is in the forecast for the spot where your car is parked and your car is reporting at least one window open. It’s an alert, not an action: BetterKey doesn’t close the window for you, it just lets you know in time to do something about it.

Does BetterKey know my parking location? +

No. Open Window Alert uses your Park Location to look up the weather forecast for that spot, and the lookup happens on your device. Your parking location does not leave your phone.

See our Privacy Policy for full details.

What does Open Window Alert need to work? +

Three things: Park Location enabled (so BetterKey knows where your car is), a connected vehicle that reports window status, and notifications turned on. When you flip Open Window Alert on for the first time and Park Location isn’t already on, BetterKey will walk you through enabling it.

Does this work with my car? +

Window state comes from your car itself, through the same connection BetterKey already uses for lock, unlock, and location. Not every make and model reports window state, and some report it on a delay. If your car doesn’t support it, BetterKey won’t notify you. Check whether your car reports window status.

Will it wake me up at 3 AM? +

Open Window Alert respects your normal iOS notification settings, including Focus modes and Do Not Disturb. If you have notifications silenced, the alert is silenced too. It will still appear on your lock screen for when you next pick up your phone.

Can I see the current window state without an alert? +

Yes. Expand the vehicle’s card in the BetterKey app and, if your car reports window state and a recent reading is available, a warning-triangle indicator shows how many windows are open. The Window Status widget shows the same reading on your Home Screen or Lock Screen. Both are passive counts, not alerts, so no rain check is involved.