New features for Hawaiian Electric’s easy-to-use mobile app

by Jacky Leung | Sept. 24, 2025

Part of the reason why smartphones are so useful — besides internet connectivity, high-definition cameras, GPS, etc. — is because we’re able to install different apps on them. Compared to websites, which are usually information focused, apps are usually designed with specific functionality and tasks in mind. During a recent vacation, I was on a cruise where everything from entertainment to dining bookings was managed via a mobile app, which made it easy to adjust my daily schedule on the go with just a few taps.

At work, I am involved with the development and testing of Hawaiian Electric’s free mobile app. First released in 2017, it provides customers with a convenient way to manage their electric service, view the status of power outages via the outage map, and more. Customers with online accounts can login from the mobile app to view their electrical usage, see their past and current bills, and schedule a one-time payment or setup automatic bill payment. In our most recent update, we made several improvements to the mobile app, including:

• Island selector: On the first load of the mobile app after installation, a popup window will ask the user to select their island region. While this is not mandatory, we highly encourage users to select the proper island region for them, as this will help tailor the mobile app for your specific region. For example, a user that sets the island region to Oahu will only get notifications that are meant for Oahu customers, and not notifications meant for Maui County or Hawaii Island. Users can change their selected island region at any time by opening the menu (icon with the 3 horizontal lines) and tapping ‘Settings’.

• PSPS indicators for outage map: With the implementation of the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program as part of Hawaiian Electric’s Wildfire Safety Strategy, we have added new PSPS indicators to the outage map to help clarify whether a power outage is PSPS related or not. A PSPS related power outage will now show up on the outage map with a PSPS specific icon with a purple outline to designate the affected outage area. We also encourage customers in PSPS affected areas, especially those with special medical needs, to sign up for our PSPS notifications to stay informed.

• Updated EV charger map: The new map allows users to see the status of individual charging stations at any location now, and a form has been added to let users report issue(s) with a charging station. Users can also use the new favorites feature to save a charging location for quicker visibility.

For me, I’ve found the Hawaiian Electric mobile app to be much easier and quicker than the Hawaiian Electric website for reporting power outages or checking the outage map for status updates. The Online Customer Service Center portal also works just as well through the mobile app as in a browser. And with the island selector implemented, you’ll only get the notifications for your island region. So give the Hawaiian Electric mobile app a try, available on the App Store and Google Play — it’s simple and hassle-free!

Jacky Leung is a digital communications analyst at Hawaiian Electric.