Newsfeed (FDA Recalls)

The Newsfeed displays FDA food recalls and safety alerts, automatically filtering them based on your allergen profile to show relevant alerts.

How to Access

  • Tap the “Newsfeed” tab in the bottom navigation bar (newspaper icon)
  • The tab shows as “Newsfeed” in the app

What the Feature Does

  • Fetches FDA food recall data from government APIs
  • Filters recalls based on your allergen profile
  • Shows alerts for foods containing your specific allergens
  • Allows you to save, search, and filter alerts
  • Provides swipe-to-refresh functionality
  • Sends notifications for new critical alerts

How to Use

1. Viewing Alerts

  • Scroll through the list of recall alerts
  • Tap any alert item to expand it and see full details
  • Expanding an alert marks it as “read”

2. Filtering Alerts

Quick Filters (Always Visible)

  • Star button (⭐): Toggle to show only saved alerts (changes to filled star when active)
  • Warning button (⚠️): Toggle to show only critical alerts for your allergens

Detailed Filters (Expandable)

  • Tap the filter button (funnel icon) to expand the filter bar
  • Filter Groups:
  • Priority: Critical alerts (⚠️) – independent toggle, can combine with others
  • Content Type: All | Unread | Archived – mutually exclusive options
  • Special: Saved alerts (⭐) – independent toggle, can combine with others
  • Time Range: Recall window (number of days)

Filter Combinations

  • “All” truly shows all items only when no other filters are active
  • Combine filters: “Unread” + “Critical” = unread critical alerts only
  • Visual grouping: Separators show which filters can be combined vs exclusive

3. Searching Alerts

  • Use the search bar in the toolbar
  • Search by product names, allergens, or company names

4. Multi-Select and Batch Actions (NEW in v0.9.17+)

  • Long press menu: Long press any alert to see context-sensitive options:
  • “Share”: Share the alert via messaging/email
  • “Mark as Read/Unread”: Toggle read status (shows opposite of current state)
  • “Select Multiple Items”: Enter multi-select mode
  • Select items: In multi-select mode, tap checkboxes to select multiple items
  • Batch actions: Use action bar buttons:
  • Opened envelope icon: Mark selected alerts as read
  • Closed envelope icon: Mark selected alerts as unread
  • Archive icon: Archive selected alerts
  • Select all icon: Select all visible alerts
  • Exit multi-select: Tap the X button to return to normal mode

5. Managing Individual Alerts

  • Save alerts: Tap the star icon on any alert to save it
  • Share alerts:
  • Tap the share icon on any alert card
  • OR long press → “Share” to share via messaging/email
  • Toggle read status: Long press → “Mark as Read/Unread”
  • Swipe to refresh: Pull down on the list to check for new alerts
  • Archive single alert: Swipe left on any alert to archive it

6. Time Filter

  • Adjust the recall window (number of days) using the days filter
  • Enter number of days and tap the save button
  • Default shows alerts from the last 30 days

Notifications

When You’ll Get Notified

MAE sends notifications only when new alerts are actually found during background sync, not for existing unread items. You’ll receive notifications when:

  • New FDA recalls are published and downloaded to your device
  • New alerts match your allergen profile (critical alerts)
  • Background sync successfully finds new content

What You WON’T Get Notified About

  • Existing unread alerts you haven’t looked at yet
  • Old alerts that remain unread from previous days
  • Re-notifications for the same content

Notification Content

  • Simple alerts: “3 new alerts” (when none are allergen-related)
  • Critical alerts: “2 new alerts (1 critical for your allergens)”
  • All critical: “1 critical allergen alert” (when all new items are allergen-related)

Configuring Notifications

  1. Open Settings from the bottom navigation
  2. Expand Newsfeed & Alerts section
  3. Set your preferred News Alert Time for daily background checks
  4. Enable/disable notification sources (FDA API, Market Recalls)
  5. Adjust recall window (number of days to check)

RELIABLE BACKGROUND NOTIFICATIONS: CONFIRMED WORKING

  • Uses AlarmManager for exact timing (same system as phone’s alarm clock)
  • Fires at scheduled time regardless of app state or battery optimization
  • No more missed critical allergy alerts due to Android restrictions

Troubleshooting Notifications

Notifications should work reliably, but if you experience issues:

  1. Check notification permissions for MAE in device settings
  2. For Android 12+: Verify “Alarms & reminders” permission is enabled
  3. Enable debug mode (long-press app name in Settings) for diagnostic tools

Important Notes

  • Requires internet connection to fetch new alerts
  • Critical alerts are based on your allergen profile
  • Alerts are automatically filtered using exclusion lists to prevent false positives
  • Background sync respects Android battery optimization and network constraints
Scroll to Top