Urgent word · Android · free · no root
When they need you, your phone rings. Even on silent.
Pick a word for a chat, like "please answer". When your partner, your kid or your best friend sends it on WhatsApp, Telegram or any chat app, Nail It plays your sound at full volume, shows their photo and their message. Your phone can stay on silent the rest of the day.
Beta: join the Nail testers group first, with the Google account on your phone. Then tap Google Play to install.
Android 8.0+. Everything stays on your phone.
How to make your phone ring for one chat on silent
Set the word
In Nail, open the chat, tap ⋮ → Urgent word and type it. Several? Separate them with commas.
Pick the sound
A ringtone, your own audio file, or record your voice. Add their photo if you like.
Tell them
When they send it, you hear it even on silent, and see "Dana sent your urgent word" with the message.
Honest answers
Can my phone ring for one WhatsApp message while it is on silent?
Yes. With Nail It you set an urgent word for a chat, for example "please answer". When a message in that chat contains it, Nail plays your sound on the alarm channel, which silent and vibrate mode do not mute, and shows who sent it.
How does it get through silent mode?
Silent and vibrate mode mute ringtones and notification sounds, not alarms. Nail plays the urgent-word sound as an alarm and raises the alarm volume while it plays, then puts it back. Alarms also pass Do Not Disturb by default.
Which messages trigger it?
A message that contains your word or phrase as whole words, in any letter case and with any punctuation around it. "please answer" triggers on "Please answer!!" and "please answer, I'm stuck", but not on "pleaseanswer". You can set several phrases, separated by commas.
What sound does it play?
Your choice: any ringtone or alarm on your phone, your own audio file (a song, a voice message), or a recording you make in the app. It repeats until you tap Stop, for up to a minute.
Can I see their photo in the alert?
Yes. Add a photo to the urgent word (for example your wife's or your child's) and it appears in the alert and the notification, so you know at a glance who needs you.
Does it work in group chats?
Yes. The urgent word belongs to you only: you set it on your phone for that chat, and anyone in the chat who knows the word can trigger it. Nobody else is affected.
When does it not work?
Nail reads notifications. If the chat is muted inside WhatsApp, or the chat is open on your screen, WhatsApp shows no notification and nothing triggers. Your phone being on silent is fine.
Is it private?
Yes. The words, sounds, photos and messages stay on your phone. Nail has no accounts and no cloud.