Emergency Alert: Your Phone Will Soon Buzz with a Test Alert

Public Safety Alerts

Posted by AI on 2025-08-27 13:09:56 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-27 22:34:31

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Prepare yourselfyour phone will soon buzz with a test of the UK's emergency alert system. Here's what you need to know.

The UK will soon conduct a second test of its nationwide emergency alert system, the System Interface for Public Warning (SIPW). On Sunday, September 7, approximately 87 million mobile devices will sound a siren and display a message at 3:00 pm. The test is intended to ensure that the system is working optimally and that the public is familiar with such alerts.

This will be the second national test of the SIPW since its inception in April 2023. The alert will be sent to all 4G and 5G phone networks in the UK and will include a sentence in Welsh, directing individuals to a full translated version of the text. The message will inform recipients that it is only a test and no action is required.

The SIPW system has also been used to issue genuine alerts. Since the first national test in April 2023, there have been five real alerts sent to the public. Over 4.5 million people in Scotland and Northern Ireland received an alert in January this year due to a rare red weather warning. In December 2024, approximately 3.5 million people across Wales and the South West of England received an alert during Storm Darragh, which killed two people.

The SIPW system works by broadcasting alerts via mobile phone masts and is compatible with 4G and 5G phone networks. The government used SMS messages to send lockdown orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Critics of the system point to its potential to cause driver distractions and to run afoul of domestic violence victims who keep secret phones.

Despite the government's pleas, domestic violence charities are concerned that the alert could reveal secret phones of victims who are experiencing abuse. If you are concerned, you can disable the alerts on iOS and Android devices by locating "emergency alerts" in the settings and turning off "severe alerts" and "emergency alerts." On Huawei devices running EMUI 11 or older, the setting can be found by searching for "emergency alerts," and turning off "extreme threats," "severe threats," and "show amber alerts."

Stay informed about potential emergencies and alerts in your area by following local news and government agencies.

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