You download L.O.O.T. from our website, not from an app store. That is why Windows, Android and macOS show a warning the first time you open it: they don't know the app yet and ask you to confirm. This is normal, it happens with any program distributed this way, and you only need to do it once.
All the installation files are in the Download section of the home page. The iPhone version is not available yet: it will come through the App Store.
The search for listings runs on our servers around the clock, not on your device. The app is where you manage your searches and receive notifications. You can install it on several devices with the same account.
Windows
You need 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 and an account with administrator rights, because the app is installed in the Program Files folder.
- From the Download section, download
L.O.O.T.exeand double-click it. - If the blue “Windows protected your PC” screen appears, click More info and then Run anyway. The warning appears because the program is new and SmartScreen hasn't seen it on many computers yet.
- Confirm when Windows asks whether to allow the app to make changes to your device.
- During setup you can choose whether to create a desktop icon and whether to start L.O.O.T. at login, minimized to the notification area. We recommend leaving this second option on: on a computer, notifications only arrive while the app is open, including when it's minimized next to the clock.
- If your PC is missing the Microsoft Visual C++ libraries the app needs, setup adds them for you. When it finishes you can start L.O.O.T. right away.
The first time you close the window with the X, L.O.O.T. asks whether you want to minimize it to the notification area or quit completely. You can change this at any time in Settings, under When closing the window. To actually quit the app, right-click the icon next to the clock and choose Quit.
Android
On Android you install the app from an .apk file. This is the step that raises the most questions, so let's take it slowly.
- Open this page on your phone and download
L.O.O.T.apkfrom the Download section. Your browser may warn you that the file could be harmful: confirm that you want to download it. - Tap the notification saying the download is complete, or open the file from your Downloads folder.
- The first time, Android blocks the installation and offers to open the settings. Turn on Allow from this source for the app you used to open the file, usually Chrome or your file manager, then go back.
- Tap Install. If Play Protect says the app is unknown, you can choose to install it anyway: this check appears for every app that doesn't come from the Play Store.
- Open L.O.O.T. and, when asked, allow notifications. Without this permission the app works but can't alert you.
One more step worth doing right away
Many phones, especially Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo and Samsung, put apps to sleep to save battery, and notifications then arrive late. On Android, L.O.O.T. notifications arrive even when the app is closed, but only if the system doesn't hold them back.
Go to your phone's settings, open Apps, then L.O.O.T., then Battery, and choose Unrestricted. The menu names vary a little between brands, but the path is the same. Inside the app you'll find the same advice in the Delayed notifications box.
macOS
You need macOS 10.15 Catalina or later.
- Download
L.O.O.T.dmgand double-click it. - Drag the L.O.O.T. icon onto the Applications folder next to it. If a previous version is already there, choose to replace it.
- Eject the “L.O.O.T” disk from the Finder sidebar and open the app from the Applications folder. Don't launch it straight from the mounted disk: from there it can't update itself.
Unlocking it, just once
L.O.O.T. doesn't come from the Mac App Store, so on first launch macOS stops it with a message such as “Apple could not verify that L.O.O.T. is free of malware”. There are two equivalent ways to unlock it.
From System Settings. Close the warning with Done, open System Settings, then Privacy & Security. At the bottom, in the Security part, you'll find the line “L.O.O.T. was blocked to protect your Mac”: press Open Anyway, confirm with your password or Touch ID, then Open.
From Terminal. Open Terminal from the Utilities folder inside Applications, paste this command and press Return:
From then on the app opens with a normal double click and macOS doesn't ask again, not even when it updates. On a Mac, L.O.O.T. starts at login and stays available from its icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
After installation
The first time you open the app, we ask you to sign in. You can create an account with email and password or sign in with Google. On a computer, Google sign-in is completed in the browser: you have two minutes to do it, after which the app stops waiting and you can simply try again.
If you signed up with email, you need to confirm your address with the link we send you before you can continue. Then you choose a plan and create your first search. The whole process is explained in the guide from first login to first notification.
Updates
Every time it starts, L.O.O.T. checks whether a new version exists and, if there is one, lets you choose between Update Now and Later. What happens next depends on the system:
| System | How it updates |
|---|---|
| Android | It downloads and installs inside the app. The first time, Android asks you to allow L.O.O.T. to install apps: it's the same permission as in step 3, this time for L.O.O.T. |
| Windows | It opens your browser to the new installer. You run it as you did the first time: it closes the running version by itself and replaces it, and you keep your settings. |
| macOS | It downloads the package, quits, replaces itself and reopens already updated. If something goes wrong, the version you had reopens. |
Your searches aren't stored on the device but in your account, so an update, a reinstall or a new phone won't make you lose them. If something goes wrong during installation, the help center lists the most common problems and their solutions.
