FYI: Every mobile phone to receive emergency alert
- An emergency alert test will occur at 3pm on Sunday, 7 September, causing approximately 87 million mobile devices in the UK to ring unprompted.
- The alert system was previously tested in April 2023 and has been used for real emergencies, including severe weather warnings and an unexploded bomb alert in Plymouth.
- Concerns have been raised regarding potential risks to drivers and domestic violence victims using hidden phones as the alerts can distract users.
Every mobile phone to receive emergency alert: When it will happen – and what it will say | UK News
Mobile phones across the UK will be sent an emergency alert as the government tests the system nationwide.
During the test, the second only of its kind, approximately 87 million mobile devices will ring out unprompted.
The system was first tested in April 2023, but the government said some users reported that their phones did not sound, with the problem traced back to specific networks.
It has also been used on several occasions to warn of adverse weather events and in one case last year, when an unexploded Second World War bomb was due to be moved by the military.
When is it going to happen?
The test is due to happen at 3pm on Sunday 7 September.
Phones will vibrate and emit a loud siren sound for roughly 10 seconds, even if they are set to silent.
A message will also appear on phone screens warning people it is only a test and no action needs to be taken.
The government said it is testing the system to ensure it is working optimally and so the public become familiar with the alerts.
But critics have said the alerts themselves could put people’s safety at risk, including drivers who may become distracted and domestic violence victims who keep a secret phone.
Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: “It’ll be a really important moment where we can do the equivalent at a national level of testing the country’s fire alarm or smoke alarm. [It is] part of our defences, part of our resilience, and a really important communication tool between the government and the public.”
When has the system been used for real?
Since the first national test of the system in April 2023, five alerts have been sent to warn the public of real emergencies.
The largest ever use of the system happened in January this year, when approximately 4.5 million people in Scotland and Northern Ireland received an alert during Storm Eowyn, after a rare red weather warning – meaning there was a risk to life – was issued.
Also in January, the alert warned people of severe flooding at Proctor’s Pleasure caravan park near Barrow upon Soar. The message told people in the park to evacuate to a nearby rest centre.
