Hay fever is in season almost all year round - only in winter is there calm. Fortunately, most people are only allergic to individual types of pollen and therefore want to know exactly when which grasses and trees are in bloom. There are now many apps that show you exactly that on your smartphone. Often you can even keep a symptom diary and set your own pollen alarm. In this article, we will introduce you to seven pollen counting apps.
Pharmaceutical company apps
Some large pharmaceutical companies have developed their own pollen counting apps. Your goal is of course to sell your own products - accordingly, you will always come across self-promotion within these applications.
Pollen forecast (Hexal)
The pollen forecast from Hexal AG predicts which pollen is on the move and when at your location. The app can record this via GPS, but you can also search for places yourself using the place name or zip code. When starting the application for the first time, you will also need to select the pollen that you want to find out about. According to the provider, the forecast data is updated three times a day.
The app takes 15 allergy-causing plants into account, including elm and poplar. To limit this, you can activate a personalized pollen alarm that notifies you of selected pollen at a specific location via push notification. You can also see a forecast of pollen counts for seven days on a map of Germany. If you like, you can also keep a diary, which records symptoms and medication taken by means of a questionnaire. The Hexal app is free, but it also contains fairly blunt advertising for Hexal drugs..
The pollen forecast offers a map and a location view as well as more detailed information on allergens. Pollen Radar (Ratiopharm)
The pollen count app from Ratiopharm shows you the weather and a pollen count forecast for your location directly on the start page. The types of pollen are classified according to their frequency; a total of 15 types of pollen are considered, including beech and rye. Your location is determined using GPS, but you can also search for locations. You can personalize the overview on the start page if you create an exact allergy profile for yourself.
You will also find everyday tips for allergy sufferers in the app, but they contain advertising for Ratiopharm products. The application offers a pollen radar for Germany and Austria, you can record allergic reactions in an allergy diary. Overall health, eyes, nose and lungs are queried there using a smiley scale. The pollen radar is also free.
The pollen radar shows you weather and pollen flight information about your location directly on the start page. Pollen info (Vividrin)
Vividrin's pollen counting app provides you with information on 14 types of pollen. It offers a forecast for Germany and takes into account not only pollen pollution but also UV and fine dust pollution as well as ozone holes. According to the provider, the data is updated several times a day.
When using it for the first time, you define your region, you also create your own pollen profile and receive push notifications based on this. In addition to a travel calendar for typical European holiday destinations, there are also tips for allergy sufferers, information on medication (advertising for Vividrin products) and an allergist and pharmacy search. The Vividrin app is also free..
The pollen info shows you the pollen load for your location, also in a 6-day forecast. Other providers from the health sector
Some companies do not manufacture allergy medication themselves, but still want to retain or attract customers with their own apps. The Techniker Krankenkasse and the Danish start-up Klarify, whose parent company is Allergie Labor Copenhagen, have their own pollen counting apps.
Husteblume (Techniker Krankenkasse)
This app was developed by Techniker Krankenkasse in cooperation with the German Pollen Information Service Foundation and the University of Vienna. The pollen forecast for three days takes into account the eight most common allergens: ragweed, mugwort, birch, alder, ash, grass, hazel and rye. You can set up your own pollen alarm that will notify you via push message. You can also keep a symptom diary and use a questionnaire to find out whether you are allergic - but of course this does not replace a professional allergy test.
At the beginning you have to enter some personal data that will be used for statistical purposes and to personalize the pollen forecast. According to the provider, the data entered will only be stored anonymously and not passed on to Techniker Krankenkasse. There is also a lexicon on allergens and information on treating allergies in the application. The Husteblume app is also free.
In the Husteblume app you can keep a symptom diary or browse the lexicon and the media library. Klarify (Allergy Laboratory Copenhagen)
The app from the Danish start-up Klarify provides you with a forecast of pollen count and air quality. When you create an account, you can adapt the application to your own needs and your location, and you can be informed by push message. There are also tips in the app for treating allergy symptoms. The smiley on the start screen is cute and depending on the pollen count it is tired, cold or happy. The Klarify app is also free.
You can personalize the Klarify app when you register. You can use the pollen forecast even without an account. Apps straight from the data sources
The pollen counting apps get their data from official sources. But the weather and pollen warning services have also developed their own apps. The advantage: You do not do any self-promotion.
Health Weather (German Weather Service)
This app from the German Weather Service provides general information on the effects of weather on health. There are, for example, official heat or UV warnings, but also a separate widget with a pollen forecast including a hazard index. Eight types of pollen are taken into account, for which there is a daily forecast for your selected region. In this application you can set various push alerts yourself. The DWD app costs € 0.99 once.
Pollen (Austrian Pollen Warning Service)
The Austrian pollen warning service of the Medical University of Vienna is working with other local institutions for this app. The application provides regional pollen forecast for the next three days and is available for Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Great Britain and South Tyrol. Eight allergens are taken into account.
When you log in, you can record your symptoms in a pollen diary, which in turn is the basis for personalized stress predictions. You can set push notifications for a variety of purposes, such as breaking news or reminders about visits to the doctor. You can find out about allergens in plant profiles. The pollen app is free.
In the pollen app you can see the hourly allergy risk and the load forecast for your location.