There will be another test of the United Kingdom emergency alert system next Sunday, September 9 at 3pm. The test to ping all mobile devices in the country and cause a strong noise, even in the phones that are established in silence.
The good news is that there is nothing to worry about, although you can make a leap to you who already surround it. This is just a test, as the test carried out in 2023, and does not need to take any measure. Here is everything you need to know about what is happening this time.
When is the test happening?
The test is scheduled for Sunday, September 9, at 3pm British summer. All in the United Kingdom should receive alert at the same time, so if you are in a public place, you may see many people suddenly looking at their phones.
The date and time have been chosen to minimize interruption in schools, religious meetings and workplaces. In a real emergency, of course, the alert would be sent as soon as possible, the United Kingdom government and emergency services.
What will happen on my phone?
Your phone will vibrate and make a strong noise for about 10 seconds at 3 pm, in addition to showing a message on the screen, confirming that this is just a test. You do not need to be in a special network for this to work or have a specific application installed. If you lose the alert as is happening, go to the current government alert page.
Your phone must be compatible with 4G or 5G, and turn on: the phones that are off will not receive the warning, although they could turn on shortly after. Environmentally, official guidelines say or not to get an alert if your phone is in plane mode, without any additional explanation.
What happens if I am abroad or visited the United Kingdom?
The official guide of the United Kingdom government is quite light about information about what happens if you are a citizen of the United Kingdom outside the country, or if you visit the United Kingdom from another place. The general consensus seems to be that only people located in the United Kingdom at the time of alert will be affected, and that could include visitors and tourists.
What we do know with certainty is that the emergency alert system is based on location and sends warnings of specific masts to all the United Kingdom networks. Therefore, it seems unlikely that the residents of the United Kingdom who are out of the country will be made ping, but if you are visiting, there is the possibility that the alert can see, depending on how their phone is configured.
What is the designed system for?
On the United Kingdom emergency alert site, some potential reasons for the alerts sent are given as forest fires, serious floods and extreme storms. We assume that asteroids would also count on a direct collision course.
There is also official information about how you can prepare for an emergency. For example, if you think you may need additional support if your public services are cut, you can register with that beforehand.
How can I turn off the alert?
We do not recommend off these alerts, since they could save your life. However, there are situations in which you may want to disable them, for example, those who experience domestic abuse and have to maintain a second hidden phone.
As indicated above, you can turn off your phone on Sunday to avoid alert. You can also disable them through the configuration of your phone: on Android, open the configuration and search “emergency alerts”, then turn off Extreme alerts and Severe alerts. In iOS, open the configuration, then touch Notifications To find the Extreme alerts and Severe alerts alternation switches.
