At exactly 3pm this Sunday (April 23), the air will be filled with a strange siren and the sound of people scrabbling in their pockets and bags as a nationwide emergency alert goes off on most of the UK’s phones and tablets.
It’s part of a government test of the National Alarm, a warning system which will be used if there is a danger to life nearby, and will go off loudly even if a device is on silent.
The danger could be a severe flood, fire or extreme weather – and it’s hoped at some point in the future the alerts could be used to flag a terror attack. Alerts will be based on your current location, even if you don’t have location services turned on.
Sunday’s alert is just a test, and the real siren will only be triggered by emergency services, or government departments/public bodies dealing with crisis situations.
But domestic violence charities have warned that the alarm puts victims of abuse at risk, as some have a secret smartphone which they use to access support.
Several charities, including Refuge and the National Centre for Domestic Violence, are urging people living with abusers to disable the alerts or switch their phones off completely.
So if you want to turn this alert off for any reason, here’s how to do it.
How to turn off the emergency alert
To turn off the alert, do the following before 3pm on Sunday:
- Search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’
- Turn off ‘severe alerts’ and ‘extreme alerts’
You will also not receive an alert if:
- Your phone is turned off or in airplane mode
- You’re connected to a 2G or 3G network
- You’re using Wi-Fi only (so not connected to a network)
- Only phones and tablets running iOS 14.5/Android 11 or later will receive the alert
Be aware that the government advises keeping the alerts on for your own safety.
What will the emergency alert sound like?
The emergency alert will be a siren-like wail from your phone or tablet that lasts about 10 seconds. It will be really loud no matter what your phone volume is set to, including silent.
When you get an alert your mobile phone or tablet may also vibrate or read the message aloud.
It will look and sound very different to other messages.
The April 23 alert will read:
This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.
In an actual emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.
Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information.
The alert will stay on the screen until you acknowledge it by swiping or clicking, and you won’t be able to use your phone normally until you do.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden said: ‘Getting this system operational with the national test means we have another tool in our toolkit to keep the public safe in life-threatening emergencies.
‘It could be the sound that saves your life.’
Emergency alerts are already in use in some other countries including the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan, and it has already been tested in the UK in Reading and East Suffolk.
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