Computing on the go continues to grow at an incredible rate as people use mobile devices to make life more convenient — to pay bills, find restaurants or play games.

To give its customers more power on the go, Gulf Power Company has released two new free apps — a power outage app and a payment app.

The Gulf Power Outage App lets customers report or check on the status of an outage and access the Gulf Power outage map. Customers can also access the utility’s social media sites and their mobile site, MyGulfPower.com.

The Gulf Power Bill Payment App lets customers conveniently — and securely — log in via smartphone and pay their monthly electricity bill with a credit card.

Both apps also can be used on tablets like the iPad.

“Our apps give our customers the power to connect with us wherever they are,” said Natalie Smith, Gulf Power spokesperson. “They offer convenient access to the information our customers may need, right at their fingertips.”

The apps, made for iPhone and Android, are free and can be found by searching for “Gulf Power” in iTunes and the Google PlayStore.

“With Gulf Power’s reliability at 99.99 percent, the outage app may be the best app you’ll never need,” Smith quipped. “But we encourage you to download it now before tropical storm season — this is a powerful communication tool that shows your outage, if crews are on the way or on site and gives an estimate of how long it will be before your power is restored.”

For questions, call Gulf Power’s Customer Care Center at 1-800-225-5797. Stay in touch with Gulf Power on the company’s Facebook page for announcements about more new online features.

Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 436,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely provide exceptional customer value by delivering reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity while strengthening our communities. Visit online at MyGulfPower.com or on the company’s Facebook page, “Gulf Power Company.”

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