The UK government will carry out a second test of its emergency alert system on Sunday 7 September.
The alerts are designed to warn people if there is an immediate risk to life, such as during severe weather or a terror incident.
The first nationwide test in April 2023 revealed some problems, with some people receiving multiple alerts and others not getting one at all.
When will the alert happen?
The test message will be sent to millions of phones at around 3pm (BST) on the day. Most modern smartphones will vibrate and play a loud siren sound for about 10 seconds.
During the last test, some phones received the alert slightly earlier or later than planned.
What will the alert say?
The message will read: “This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.
You do not need to take any action. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.
Find simple and effective advice on how to prepare for emergencies at gov.uk/prepare.
Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information or to view this message in Welsh. Ewch i gov.uk/alerts am ragor o wybodaeth neu i weld y neges hon yn y Gymraeg.”
Who will get the alert?
The message will be sent to all smartphones using 4G or 5G networks, even if they are not connected to mobile data or Wi-Fi.
Older devices, or phones using 2G and 3G, will not receive it. Phones that are switched off or in flight mode will also not get the alert.
The government says that around 95% of people in the UK have access to 4G or 5G. There are around 87 million mobile phones across the country.
In the 2023 test, many customers on the Three network did not receive the alert, while some people on other networks got it more than once.
Can you turn it off?
Emergency alerts are designed to carry life-saving information and the government advises keeping them switched on.
However, some people, such as domestic abuse victims with a hidden phone, may want to turn alerts off.
On most devices, you can do this by going into settings and searching for “emergency alerts”, then switching off “severe alerts” and “extreme alerts”.
On other phones, the settings may be called “wireless emergency alerts” or “emergency broadcasts”. These can usually be found under:
- Messages > Message settings > Wireless emergency alerts > Alert
- Settings > Sounds > Advanced > Emergency broadcasts
- Settings > General settings > Emergency alerts
From there, you can turn off severe alerts, extreme alerts and test alerts.
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
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