Emergency alert system: When is the alarm and how do you stop it happening on your mobile phone?

April 11, 2023

At 3pm, on Sunday 23 April, a siren-like emergency warning message will be sent to 4G and 5G mobile phones across the UK to test a new public alert system…

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At 3pm, on Sunday 23 April, a siren-like emergency warning message will be sent to 4G and 5G mobile phones across the UK to test a new public alert system used in ‘life-threatening emergencies’, including extreme weather events like wildfires and flooding.  

If you have a secret or secondary phone or tablet hidden within the home, these alerts will come through as a loud siren even if devices are on silent and could alert an abuser to a concealed device.  

Follow the guidance below to turn off these alerts ahead of the test on Sunday 23rd April. 

How to turn off emergency alerts on an Apple phone: 

Apple phone owners should go to the notifications section in the phone’s settings and scroll right to the end of the page where they will find an emergency alerts section. Here you can click on the toggles for ‘Extreme Alerts’ and ‘Severe Alerts’, ensuring that the button is no longer green and therefore disabled.  

How to turn off emergency alerts on an Android phone: 

The quickest way for Android users to turn off alerts is to go to phone settings and use the magnifying glass icon or the search bar to search for ‘emergency alerts’. Click on ‘Wireless emergency alerts’ (also found in ‘Advanced settings’) and you’ll see where you can switch them off.   

Users of older smartphones which cannot access the 4G or 5G phone networks need not worry as these phones will not receive emergency alerts. Additionally, you can switch your phone off or put it in airplane mode to avoid the alert sound and vibration which will occur for up to 10 seconds, even if a phone is on silent. 

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