Editing Openai/6945998f-2220-8000-9477-424a0c33133c (section)

=== Assistant: Here’s the straight, practical breakdown of your situation with OPM Alert / OPM DC Status and how you can get reliable … ===
Here’s the straight, practical breakdown of your situation with OPM Alert / OPM DC Status and how you can get reliable notifications for federal operating status changes — especially now that the app you used to lean on is effectively gone or nonfunctional:

===== - The official OPM Alert / OPM DC Status mobile app used to provide push notifications for Washington, DC-area federal operating status changes. U.S. Office of Personnel Management<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Office of Personnel Management|url=https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/mobile-app|publisher=U.S. Office of Personnel Management|access-date=2025-12-19}}</ref> =====
* It has been removed from the Google Play Store as of late 2025, and users are reporting it can’t be found or installed normally anymore. Chrome Stats<ref>{{cite web|title=Chrome Stats|url=https://chrome-stats.com/d/gov.opm.status|publisher=Chrome Stats|access-date=2025-12-19}}</ref>
* The iOS version (still listed on the App Store) hasn’t seen recent updates and generally has mediocre reviews — plus there’s no guarantee push notifications work reliably. App Store<ref>{{cite web|title=App Store|url=https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opm-dc-status/id627986929|publisher=App Store|access-date=2025-12-19}}</ref>
* Official documentation still mentions the app and push notifications, but this appears out of date given the app’s removal and lack of recent updates. U.S. Office of Personnel Management<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Office of Personnel Management|url=https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/mobile-app|publisher=U.S. Office of Personnel Management|access-date=2025-12-19}}</ref>

👉 Bottom line: if you depended on push notifications from that app, it’s basically dead or unreliable now.

==== ### ====

OPM publishes an RSS (Atom) feed and an XML status feed for operating status changes — and you can tie those into modern notification tools.
* RSS feed: https://www.opm.gov/rss/operatingstatus.atom
* XML feed: https://www.opm.gov/xml/operatingstatus.xml These are official, real-time sources of status changes. U.S. Office of Personnel Management<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Office of Personnel Management|url=https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/openopm-faq/general/how-can-i-register-for-alerts-or-notifications-regarding-opening-and-closing-of-government-buildings-in-the-washington-dc-area/|publisher=U.S. Office of Personnel Management|access-date=2025-12-19}}</ref>

How to turn those into alerts:
* Use an RSS-to-push service like IFTTT, Zapier, or FeedRabbit to send notifications to your phone/email when the feed updates.
* On iOS, you can use Shortcuts to watch an RSS feed and push local notifications when it changes.

This is widely more reliable than waiting for a defunct app to work.

===== - Bookmark the OPM operating status page and check it in the morning on bad weather days: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/current-status/ U.S. Office of Personnel Management<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Office of Personnel Management|url=https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/current-status/|publisher=U.S. Office of Personnel Management|access-date=2025-12-19}}</ref> =====
* Recorded voice line: OPM provides a recorded operating status message at (202) 606-1900. U.S. Office of Personnel Management<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Office of Personnel Management|url=https://www.opm.gov/chcoc/transmittals/2018/attachments/Dismissal%20and%20Closure%20Procedures_11-16-2018.pdf|publisher=U.S. Office of Personnel Management|access-date=2025-12-19}}</ref>

===== OPM mentions using its social channels for updates — not guaranteed or timely, but easy: =====
* Facebook: USOPM
* Twitter/X: @USOPM This won’t be as crisp as an RSS-based alert, but it’s another way to catch a break or closure announcement. U.S. Office of Personnel Management<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Office of Personnel Management|url=https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/notices/|publisher=U.S. Office of Personnel Management|access-date=2025-12-19}}</ref>

===== - Unofficial text messages claiming to be OPM: People have reported scammy texts claiming to be from OPM — those are not legitimate. OPM doesn’t send closure texts directly to personal phones. Reddit<ref>{{cite web|title=Reddit|url=https://www.reddit.com//r/fednews/comments/1idsot8|publisher=reddit.com|access-date=2025-12-19}}</ref> =====
* Third-party apps claiming to do the same: Without official backing or access to OPM’s feed, they can be unreliable.

==== If I were in your shoes today: ====
# Subscribe to the OPM RSS feed for operating status.
# Link that RSS feed to notifications using a tool like IFTTT or a Slack/Teams webhook if you use chat apps.
# Add a shortcut bookmark on every device you care about so you can refresh the OPM status quickly on sketchy days.

This gives you near-instant alerts, doesn’t depend on an abandoned app, and uses official data straight from OPM.

If you want help setting up IFTTT/Zapier or a shortcut that sends notifications from the RSS feed, tell me what device you use (iPhone, Android, etc.) and I’ll walk you through a setup step-by-step.