Redwood City — County of San Mateo has adopted the Simplicity app, a new mobile communication channel that directly connects with residents by delivering important announcements and events directly to the user’s phone.
The free app doesn’t require residents to create an account to receive updates from the County of San Mateo and their participating city of residence. Users simply download the Simplicity app from the Google Play store or Apple’s App store, choose their city of residence, notification preferences and various topics including health updates, public safety information, schools and upcoming local events.
“It is great that the County of San Mateo has one more tool to reach our residents with important news, events and even emergency alerts. I encourage all county residents to sign up through their city of residence and follow the County so that we can all be better connected through a trusted channel,” said County Manager Mike Callagy.
The Simplicity app was first used by cities in the Bay Area last year, based on a partnership with Menlo Park in which the city adopted the app to elevate its direct communication with residents. Other cities of San Mateo County have followed, including Burlingame, Colma, Foster City, Hillsborough, Atherton and East Palo Alto.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see how residents are growing closer and stronger simply by being updated in a timely way on what’s happening in their communities” said Simplicity co-founder Juraj Gago.
Upcoming Simplicity features include Spanish translation, a pet directory and community funds. Using the pet directory, for example, residents can upload the names and photos of their animal companions, and notify the community in case they are lost – or in case they find someone else’s lost pet.
Download the app at https://simplicity.app.link/smc
Michelle Durand
Chief Communications Officer
650-363-4153 T
mdurand@smcgov.org