Help and support

Last updated 17 October 2026

Questions about Heads Up Home? You'll find most answers here. If not, email us and we'll help.

It helps to tell us what happened. If your question is about your data, include your account number from My alerts.

Alerts

How do alerts work?

Every hour, Heads Up Home checks for new recalls from the UK's food, product and medicine safety organisations. When a new recall matches something you've told us about, we send an alert to your phone:

• Allergy alerts when a food is recalled because of an allergen in your household.
• Cupboard alerts when a recall may match something in your cupboard.
• Category alerts for the kinds of recall you watch, like baby products or electricals.

Allergy and cupboard alerts always come straight away, because they're about safety. Category alerts can come straight away or as one daily summary. You can choose in My alerts.

Do I need an account?

The app creates a private account for you when you turn on alerts. It doesn't need an email address or password. You can browse every recall without turning alerts on.

Not getting alerts?

1. Open My alerts and check it says Alerts are on. If not, tap Turn on alerts and allow notifications.
2. Check your phone allows notifications from Heads Up Home. On Android, go to Settings, then Apps, then Heads Up Home, then Notifications, and make sure Recall alerts is switched on.
3. Some phones pause apps to save battery. On a Samsung phone, go to Settings, then Battery, then Background usage limits, and make sure Heads Up Home isn't listed under Sleeping apps or Deep sleeping apps.
4. Tap Send me a test alert in My alerts to see an alert on your phone.

Still nothing? Email us and we'll help.

Your cupboard

What is the cupboard?

It's a list of things you have at home, like baby food, chargers or toys. Scan each item's barcode or type its name and brand, and we'll check every new recall against your list. The free cupboard holds 10 items; Premium has no limit.

How do I scan a barcode?

To add something to your cupboard, tap Scan a barcode in your cupboard. To check a product, for example while you're shopping, tap Check a product on the home screen. Allow the camera when your phone asks, then point it at the barcode. If the camera won't read it, you can type the numbers under the barcode instead.

What does "possible match" mean?

Most recalls only affect certain batches, so a name match doesn't always mean your pack is affected. When you see a possible match, open the recall and compare the batch code, best before date and pack size with your product. If yours doesn't match, tap Not mine and we won't alert you about it again.

If you have a recalled product

• Stop using it, and follow the What to do advice on the recall.
• Most shops give a full refund for recalled products, usually with or without a receipt.
• Tap I have this to keep it on your list until it's sorted.
• For medicines, don't stop taking a prescribed medicine without talking to your pharmacist, doctor or nurse first.
• If someone has become ill or been hurt, get medical advice straight away. Call 999 in an emergency, or 111 for urgent advice.

Where recalls come from

We collect the public recall notices published by:

• Food Standards Agency, for food recalls and allergy alerts for England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Food Standards Scotland, for food recalls and allergy alerts for Scotland
• Office for Product Safety and Standards, for recalls and safety warnings for products, from toys and baby items to electricals and tools
• Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), for medicine recalls and medical device safety alerts

We check for new notices every hour, and every recall in the app links to the original notice so you can check it for yourself.

Is Heads Up Home an official government app?

No. Heads Up Home is an independent app. It isn't run by, or connected to, the government or any of the organisations above. Their notices contain public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Does it include every recall?

It includes every notice these organisations publish. Some recalls are only announced by a shop or manufacturer, and car, van and motorbike recalls are on the government's vehicle recall checker. We can't promise to catch every recall, so always follow official advice.

Something in a recall looks wrong

Please email us with the recall's name and what looks wrong, and we'll check it against the original notice.

Premium and the free trial

What's free?

Every recall, every safety alert, barcode scanning and a cupboard of up to 10 items. Safety alerts will always be free.

What does Premium add?

An unlimited cupboard now, with receipt scanning and family sharing on the way.

How does the free trial work?

The 14-day trial doesn't need any payment details. When it ends, you go back to the free plan and keep your cupboard. Paid plans aren't on sale yet. When they are, you'll manage or cancel your subscription in Google Play (Play Store, then your profile picture, then Payments and subscriptions, then Subscriptions).

Your data and privacy

We collect as little as we can: no name, no email, no location and no tracking. Our privacy policy explains exactly what we hold and why.

I've got a new phone

For now, a new phone starts fresh. Linking an email address, so you can move your cupboard to a new phone, is coming soon.