At 3pm on Sunday 23 April, there will be a UK-wide test of the Emergency Alerts system.
Emergency Alerts is a UK government service that will warn you if there’s a danger to life nearby. In an emergency, your mobile phone or tablet will receive an alert with advice about how to stay safe.
During the test on Sunday, people will receive a message on the home screen of their mobile phone along with a sound and vibration for up to ten seconds. The message will say:
"This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.
"In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.
"Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information.
"This is a test. You do not need to take any action."
The sound and vibration will stop automatically after ten seconds. All people need to do is swipe away the message or click ‘OK’ on their phone’s home screen - just like for a ‘low battery’ warning or notification - and continue to use their phone as normal.
Best practice of Emergency Alerts in other countries have shown that they work more effectively when there is a real emergency if people have previously received a test, so they know what an alert looks and sounds like.
Richard Fuller MP said:
Emergency Alerts will transform the UK’s warning and informing capability; by working with mobile broadcasting technology it will provide a means to get urgent messages quickly to nearly 90 percent of mobile phones in a defined area when there is a risk to life, and provide clear instructions about how best to respond.
The system will be used very rarely - only being sent where there is an immediate risk to people’s lives - so people may not receive an alert for months or years.
In an emergency, mobile phone masts in the surrounding area will broadcast an alert. Every compatible mobile phone or tablet in range of a mast will receive the alert. Emergency alerts work on all 4G and 5G phone networks in the UK. Your mobile phone or tablet does not have to be connected to mobile data or wifi to get alerts. The government does not need to know your phone number or location to send you an alert. Emergency alerts are free. You do not need to sign up for them or download an app.
More information on how emergency alerts work can be found at https://www.gov.uk/alerts/how-alerts-work
