TechEnvoke
Those who reside in or are visiting the United Kingdom should be prepared for a widespread cell phone alert that will occur today and produce a loud noise on your phone. There is no need to be concerned because the notice, which is set for Sunday, April 23, is just a quick test for the government’s emergency alert system. But be sure you’re prepared for it. Otherwise, you might be unprepared for it.
Nationwide alerts have been used in the past and have been aired on radio and television. However, as the world began to rely more heavily on smartphones, emergency alarms had to keep up with the times. As a result, today’s test, which will coincide with some significant national events including the Football in the Premier League and the 2023 London Marathon.
Such alerts can be used to inform locals of potential dangers such as natural catastrophes, terrorist attacks, or missing children. The only schedule for today, though, is merely a test, so whoever receives it shouldn’t worry about anything. In truth, the UK has been testing regional alerts for a while; this is only to evaluate how the alarm would work when it is broadcast to the entire nation.
Last month, the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom announced via a YouTube video that the alarm would sound and that locals shouldn’t become alarmed. At 3 p.m. BST, the alarm should activate with the message, “This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new British government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.”
Be aware that you will still receive the notification that will set off the alarm even if your phone is on mute or vibrating. Simply click Dismiss, OK, or any other text box that appears when the alarm goes off to silence it.
You can turn off emergency alerts temporarily in your phone’s settings if you don’t want to get the alarm. Simply search for Emergency alerts in the Settings app. There should be a toggle that, by default, is turned on, allowing you to turn it off if you don’t want to be bothered. To avoid the alert, you can alternatively put your phone in aeroplane mode.
Mobile devices running iOS 14.5 or later and Android 11 or later are among those on the list of devices receiving the notice. Accordingly, regardless of the manufacturer, every new device bought in the last few years should sound an alarm when the government sounds the alarm. When the time comes, tablets and other cellular-connected devices should also receive notifications.
As was already said, because this warning is only a test, there is nothing to be concerned about. But it wouldn’t hurt to set a reminder alarm for today at 2 p.m. BST so you know when to expect it and not to freak out. To reduce the amount of interruption, people going to live events and the theatre are urged to turn off their devices before they arrive.