At 3pm on Sunday, mobile phones across the UK sent out an alert as part of the government’s new “emergency alert” process.
The new system mimics the emergency procedure already in place in the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan to alert citizens to life-threatening situations, including adverse weather conditions such as fire or flood, and terrorism warnings.
The loud buzz lasted for about 10 seconds on 4G and 5G devices, and the words “major alarm” flashed on the screens. While some users received a text message a minute early or a few minutes late, some people never received a notification. The government announced that it would review the results of the test.
Here’s everything you need to know if you haven’t received an emergency alert.
Why didn’t I pass the emergency preparedness test?
If you’re on the Three cellular network, you may be among those who didn’t receive the notification. Twitter was flooded with complaints on Sunday after members of the network did not receive a text or warning. According to the BBC, three employees were not warned either.
A spokesperson for Three acknowledged that “a number of customers” did not receive a warning. “We are working closely with the government to understand the reasons for this and to ensure that this does not happen when the system is operational,” the spokesman said.
The cabinet also said that while most compatible phones received the warning, officials acknowledged that “a very small proportion of mobile users on some networks did not receive it.” The department said the deficiencies are being investigated as part of the test review.
A government spokesman said: “We have successfully completed tests of the British Emergency Alert System, the largest public relations exercise to date. We are working with mobile operators to evaluate the result and lessons learned.”
Can I pass the emergency call test?
Probably not. So far, the government has not announced any plans to send another one. Emergency calls are broadcast over cell towers and work across all 4G and 5G phone networks.
They are broadcast to all nearby devices via a one-way signal from standard cell towers. This eliminates the need for separate phone numbers and you won’t receive voicemail if you miss them.
To receive them, the message must be resent to everyone.
How can I receive emergency notifications in the future?
Apple and Android devices that can connect to the 4G or 5G phone network in the UK will receive emergency notifications but must be running the latest version of the operating system.
These include:
- Phones running iOS 14.5 or later
- Phones and tablets running Android 11 or later
However:
- Older phones or phones that are in airplane mode or turned off will not receive notifications.
- Wi-Fi-only devices won’t receive notifications either.
Source: I News
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