The UV reminder

UV is the sneakiest of Australian hazards: invisible, unrelated to temperature, and at dangerous levels for much of the year across most of the country.

UV 3 is the magic number

Australian sun-safety guidance is built around a simple rule: when the UV index is 3 or above, sun protection is recommended. Not just in summer, and not just when it’s hot — a crisp 19°C Brisbane winter day can sit well above 3 for hours.

• Low0–2
• Moderate3–5
• High6–7
• Very high8–10
• Extreme11+

What the reminder does

On mornings when the UV index is forecast to reach your threshold (3 by default), you get one heads-up:

• UV will be very high today. Sun protection is recommended from this morning. Peak UV forecast: 9.

And that’s all. The UV index changes continuously through the day; the app deliberately does not narrate it. One useful message in the morning beats a dozen fluctuating alerts.

Where the numbers come from

Two sources, used for what each does best:

• Forecast UV for your address, used for the morning heads-up.
• Observed UV from ARPANSA’s realtime monitoring stations, shown in the app for the station nearest your home. A station reading is a measurement at the station — if you’re a long way from it, treat it as indicative. The app tells you which station it’s using and how far away it is.

UV observations courtesy of ARPANSA. This app provides general information only, not medical advice — see the ARPANSA disclaimer. Current observations: UV index by state.

Home Heads Up is a free app for Australian households — no ads, no account. It sends the reminders described here automatically.