At 3.00pm on Sunday 23 April 2023, there will be a national test of the UK Emergency Alerts service. Find out more in this article.
What are Emergency Alerts?
The UK government’s new Emergency Alerts system is now live. It means you can be contacted via your mobile phone if your life is at risk in an emergency. The service will be used to warn you about life-threatening emergencies such as severe flooding.
What will happen on 23 April?
The system will be tested across the UK at 3.00pm on Sunday 23 April. When you get the alert on your phone, you’ll hear a loud, siren-like sound and your phone will vibrate with a distinct pattern. During the test, a message on your screen 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.” You will have to acknowledge the message before you can continue using your phone, but you won’t have to do anything else.
What about in a genuine emergency?
In an actual emergency, the message on your screen will tell you about the emergency and how best to respond. You’ll be able to check that an alert is genuine at gov.uk/alerts. When you receive an alert, read it carefully and follow the instructions.
How does the system work?
Emergency Alerts are messages sent to all compatible 4G and 5G mobile phones when there’s a danger to life, health or property in a particular area. They don’t need your location or phone number. Only the government and the emergency services can send them. If you don’t have a mobile phone, or your phone isn’t compatible, you’ll still be kept informed through other channels (such as the media). Emergency Alerts are already in use in a number of other countries around the world.
Can I opt out?
You can opt out of the service. The government strongly recommends that people do not opt out, as it is intended to give a warning when lives are in danger. However, there may be situations in which people do not want a mobile phone to be discovered. The charity Refuge has produced a video featuring instructions on how to turn off the alert system on iPhone and Android.
Where can I get more information?
For full details of the UK government’s new Emergency Alerts system, visit gov.uk/alerts or read the government’s news article about the launch of the service.