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How to customize the alerts and stories you get from the new 12 News app

The 12 News app now gives you the opportunity to decide what you do or don't want to read and watch.

The 12 News KPNX team is very well aware that when we send a push alert, we’re entering one of the most private places in your life with content we think is important.

After all, your phone’s lock screen is where you see missed calls from your mom, text messages from the political campaigns that somehow got your number, memes your friends tagged you in and of course, the breaking news you opted into.

In the new 12 News app you get to finally customize your experience – from the kinds of stories you prefer, to where you want to check the weather, to what notifications appear on your phone lockscreen. We can help tailor the news we’re delivering to you to what you’re interested in.

RELATED: 12 News has a new app, download it here

Here’s how it works: Open the 12 News app (if you don’t already have it, you can find it on iTunes and in the Google Play store). 

Before we forget, to get to the weather and live video sections of the app, you must scroll down to make the navigation bar appear at the bottom. We've already heard you on this ... scrolling down isn't natural! Soon the navigation will always appear at the bottom of the app.

WEATHER FORECASTS

Open Weather and tap on the city location icon at the top of the screen, right under the orange tab, to open the radar. Then select Add Location and fill out the form that opens. To make your new location the default weather forecast, click the pencil icon found under the location's temperature. And, that's it!

FAVORITE TOPICS AND NOTIFICATIONS

Next, select the topics you want to follow and notifications you want to receive. You will find topics and notification settings in the menu, by tapping the three line "hamburger" icon in the upper left of your screen.

Tap on the star next to each topic you want to favorite, then each one will appear at the top of the screen for easy access next time you open the app. For example if you only ever want to see Arizona news outside the Valley, Cardinals or I-Team stories, favorite these topics so you can quickly access these sections, skipping stories you don't want to see.

If you select four or more topics they will appear right on the home screen of your app, under the Monsoon 2019 section.

At the bottom of the Topics page, you will find a button to Manage Topic Alerts and Notifications. You can choose to receive notifications on your favorite topics or choose topics that you only care about when there's breaking news.

Credit: 12 News
How to manage topic alerts and notifications on the new 12 News app

One thing to note? If the 12 News team believes there’s something in the community, nation or world that warrants everyone’s attention, we can send that alert to everyone.

Here’s a breakdown of the topics (they appear in alphabetical order on the app):

  • Arizona
  • Arizona Midday
  • Cardinals
  • Coyotes
  • Crime
  • Diamondbacks
  • Entertainment News
  • Español
  • Fact Is
  • Good News
  • Investigations
  • Monsoon
  • Olympics
  • On 12 News
  • On the Mark -- Paul's Extra Point
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Sunday Square Off
  • Suns
  • Traffic
  • Valley
  • VERIFY
  • Weather

CHANGING FAVORITES & ALERTS

You can change which alerts you're signed up for at any time by going to back to the settings in the app.

Or to no longer have a topic appear as a favorite, tap the star to unselect it.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHERE IS THE TRAFFIC MAP?

A link to the live traffic map is right on the homepage below the DISCOVER TOPICS section.

WHERE CAN I VOTE IN THE BULLHORN POLLS?

You can be a part of our live shows by voting in the Bullhorn question. It is right below traffic on the homepage.

WHERE IS THE LIVE NEWSCAST

All videos are found in the Watch section, again the navigation bar to Weather and Watch appears at the bottom of your screen when you scroll DOWN. Once you have the navigation bar, tap Watch. Whenever 12 News is airing a live newscast or local program, the live show will be right at the top of the Watch section.

If you have more questions, drop us a line at connect@12news.com -- we're always working to get better. If you're having technical issues with the app, please send us this information:

Make and model of your phone or tablet.

Software version on your device.

When possible, include screenshots that show the issue.

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