Finally. The technology has been in phones for ages.
Ugh.
Settings -> Safety and Alerts -> Emergency Alerts
To disable it on android
I was in Germany few months ago when they were testing their alarm. To make it more fun, I was at an airport. Not gonna lie, got a bit scared.
I for one can’t wait to forget about this completely in a month’s time and have the living daylights scared out of me.
Guaran-fucking-tee I will entirely forget about this and shit myself from terror on the 23rd.
These will work when your phone is on silent. I guess we can look forward to concerts and shows being interrupted by everyone’s phone beeping because a stream is overflowing two miles away or there will be a gale tomorrow.
Remember the accidental text alert in Hawaii?
I think it said something like, inbound missiles imminent, this is not a test.
Had parents sticking their kids in drains lmao.
No issues with it. But announcing a day probably not wise. Opens it up for scammers to send alerts too with “click this very dodgy link to find out more”
Had a few test done over here in NZ, they scared the ever living fuck out of me cause it makes such a different sound almost like a police siren. They kept doing them around 6pm to 8pm.
100% this is going to go off the moment my toddler goes down for a nap.
Is this really necessary with 24 hour media – up to the hour weather information – social media etc? It seems highly unlikely they would send a warning that a nuclear bomb is about to drop on Halifax. Government likes playing with its toys.
I don’t get why this system was never fully implemented over here.
It is pretty common in the US to get amber alerts for missing children, escaped convicts etc
But they have had that system in place for what feels like 10+ years.
We have had tests in my area for the past 3 years now and it is still only being tested…
See how the BBC are using photos of floods as if this definitely isn’t a causality of mounting international threat
They should have made it sound serious but done it on April 1st
There’s literally nothing that ever happens in the UK that warrants the use of these for 99% of the population.
The UK doesn’t get earthquakes, typhoons or tsunamis so the use cases are so rare and pointless honestly.
Wildfires and flooding are SO isolated to specific areas. Surely the funds are better well spent on prevention for areas likely to be affected.
In Japan we have this system but there’s actually a very real threat of earthquakes suddenly occurring so it makes sense.
Thankfully I have already turned off emergency alerts on my phone, because I am autistic and anything loud like that suddenly coming from my phone and indicating a possible danger to life would absolutely terrify me, even if its just a test. I don’t like these alerts at all; if I need to find out about a dangerous storm or something I would read the news and check the weather anyway, and if these alerts were for something like a nuclear bomb hitting the UK we’d all be screwed anyway.
I wonder in what circumstances this might have been so useful as to have been essential in the past? Just curious.
Secondly, how long before we’re getting messages telling us to vote Tory.
We don’t have nuclear bunkers here. If we get an alert for a nuclear strike we are screwed.
We have this system in the Netherlands. The first Monday of every month at 12 noon the siren towers all over the land go off as a test. And twice a year mobiles too.
Is there a way to opt out or disable this nonsense?
Are they dropping hints that we are gonna get nuked by Russia? Since we don’t get natural disasters so it can’t be for that.
Already opted out. Might opt in when I see it’s not being used for Storm X, a gas leak one town over, or a kid who’s been missing for 15 minutes.
“Oh bother, we’ve run out of tea bags. No need to panic, only a test”
I for one can’t wait for the conspiracy nuts to make this their next thing once the 15 minute cities thing is dried up
I don’t have a mobile phone so how do I get my emergency alert
Can’t wait for people to mark themselves as safe on Facebook
All in favour. Was In Iceland when a volcanic eruption alert went off and netherlands when an extreme wind one happened.
You don’t have that yet? We’ve had NLAlert for at least 10 years. We get a test message every first monday of the month. Whenever there’s an incident or serious danger, we get a notification when you’re in the vicinity. I was once at a McDonalds when everybody in the place got an alert that 112 was down.
Will it warn us about impending nuclear strikes, or is ignorance blisst̶e̶r̶!
Why are people suggesting they’ll forget about this? It’ll probably be on the news, papers and TV ffs.
It’s not like this system is needed. Were something serious to happen, it’s pretty fucking important and hardly a massive inconvenience.
Am I the only one that remembers them testing this a few years ago? There was no warning and I almost had a heart attack
They start flooding these with garbage alerts so you usually disable them. I usually don’t want to know.
Pointless and privacy invasive. The ONLY purpose this servers is to continue down the road of normalising the attitude that the government can do what it wants with your device.
There has never been any instance in the UK where this is warranted.
how soon before the tory’s start sending alert everytime a migrant boat hits the south coast… probably in a click baity headline like these http://www.dailymailheadlinegenerator.com/
🙂
What it you have your phone turned off all day?
This is because we didn’t have this system for Covid so we had to go cap in hand to the network providers to send out texts on uk gov behalf isn’t it
>Phone users will be unable to use other features on their devices unless they acknowledge the alert, due to be sent on Sunday April 23.
>
>**Initially**, the scheme will focus on the most serious severe weather-related events, with the ability to get a message to 90% of mobile users within the relevant area in an emergency.
I know we had a couple of mass texts during covid, but a forced interaction like this feels like a step up.
Also the use of the word “Initially” points to the system abused in the future.
Think I’d rather just face the nuclear hellfire without any advance warning. Not like we can go anywhere. Just find a more comfortable place to be incinerated.
Hhhmmmm I wonder if they think something big and mushroom shaped could happen in the future. That or a warning for half inch of snow.
Worth remembering in the event of Nuclear attack via an ICBM you’ll have between 25-40m after the alert.
The royal family and prime minister will be rushed to the nearest shelter along with other heads of office so the plebs will have to take as much drinking water and food with you and find a space preferably underground.
Nice knowing you.
They are getting us ready for war, already getting us used to rationing.
Backup your data. If test and trace is what we’re to expect they’re gonna wipe out phones
This is stupid because you can guarantee some morons will have a meltdown on the day
“Only the government or emergency services will ever send the alerts, which will include the details of the area affected and provide instructions about how best to respond”.
It’ll definitely work a dream then, just like the NHS COVID contact app AND not be a prime target for malicious hackers wanting to disrupt and cause panic in a country they’re technically at war with.
Great, I’m on nights. Leave my phone on DND so only certain contacts can get me if there’s an emergency.
45 comments
Finally. The technology has been in phones for ages.
Ugh.
Settings -> Safety and Alerts -> Emergency Alerts
To disable it on android
I was in Germany few months ago when they were testing their alarm. To make it more fun, I was at an airport. Not gonna lie, got a bit scared.
I for one can’t wait to forget about this completely in a month’s time and have the living daylights scared out of me.
Guaran-fucking-tee I will entirely forget about this and shit myself from terror on the 23rd.
These will work when your phone is on silent. I guess we can look forward to concerts and shows being interrupted by everyone’s phone beeping because a stream is overflowing two miles away or there will be a gale tomorrow.
Remember the accidental text alert in Hawaii?
I think it said something like, inbound missiles imminent, this is not a test.
Had parents sticking their kids in drains lmao.
No issues with it. But announcing a day probably not wise. Opens it up for scammers to send alerts too with “click this very dodgy link to find out more”
Had a few test done over here in NZ, they scared the ever living fuck out of me cause it makes such a different sound almost like a police siren. They kept doing them around 6pm to 8pm.
100% this is going to go off the moment my toddler goes down for a nap.
Is this really necessary with 24 hour media – up to the hour weather information – social media etc? It seems highly unlikely they would send a warning that a nuclear bomb is about to drop on Halifax. Government likes playing with its toys.
I don’t get why this system was never fully implemented over here.
It is pretty common in the US to get amber alerts for missing children, escaped convicts etc
But they have had that system in place for what feels like 10+ years.
We have had tests in my area for the past 3 years now and it is still only being tested…
See how the BBC are using photos of floods as if this definitely isn’t a causality of mounting international threat
They should have made it sound serious but done it on April 1st
There’s literally nothing that ever happens in the UK that warrants the use of these for 99% of the population.
The UK doesn’t get earthquakes, typhoons or tsunamis so the use cases are so rare and pointless honestly.
Wildfires and flooding are SO isolated to specific areas. Surely the funds are better well spent on prevention for areas likely to be affected.
In Japan we have this system but there’s actually a very real threat of earthquakes suddenly occurring so it makes sense.
Thankfully I have already turned off emergency alerts on my phone, because I am autistic and anything loud like that suddenly coming from my phone and indicating a possible danger to life would absolutely terrify me, even if its just a test. I don’t like these alerts at all; if I need to find out about a dangerous storm or something I would read the news and check the weather anyway, and if these alerts were for something like a nuclear bomb hitting the UK we’d all be screwed anyway.
I wonder in what circumstances this might have been so useful as to have been essential in the past? Just curious.
Secondly, how long before we’re getting messages telling us to vote Tory.
We don’t have nuclear bunkers here. If we get an alert for a nuclear strike we are screwed.
We have this system in the Netherlands. The first Monday of every month at 12 noon the siren towers all over the land go off as a test. And twice a year mobiles too.
Is there a way to opt out or disable this nonsense?
Are they dropping hints that we are gonna get nuked by Russia? Since we don’t get natural disasters so it can’t be for that.
Already opted out. Might opt in when I see it’s not being used for Storm X, a gas leak one town over, or a kid who’s been missing for 15 minutes.
“Oh bother, we’ve run out of tea bags. No need to panic, only a test”
I for one can’t wait for the conspiracy nuts to make this their next thing once the 15 minute cities thing is dried up
I don’t have a mobile phone so how do I get my emergency alert
Can’t wait for people to mark themselves as safe on Facebook
All in favour. Was In Iceland when a volcanic eruption alert went off and netherlands when an extreme wind one happened.
You don’t have that yet? We’ve had NLAlert for at least 10 years. We get a test message every first monday of the month. Whenever there’s an incident or serious danger, we get a notification when you’re in the vicinity. I was once at a McDonalds when everybody in the place got an alert that 112 was down.
Will it warn us about impending nuclear strikes, or is ignorance blisst̶e̶r̶!
Why are people suggesting they’ll forget about this? It’ll probably be on the news, papers and TV ffs.
It’s not like this system is needed. Were something serious to happen, it’s pretty fucking important and hardly a massive inconvenience.
Am I the only one that remembers them testing this a few years ago? There was no warning and I almost had a heart attack
They start flooding these with garbage alerts so you usually disable them. I usually don’t want to know.
Pointless and privacy invasive. The ONLY purpose this servers is to continue down the road of normalising the attitude that the government can do what it wants with your device.
There has never been any instance in the UK where this is warranted.
how soon before the tory’s start sending alert everytime a migrant boat hits the south coast… probably in a click baity headline like these
http://www.dailymailheadlinegenerator.com/
🙂
What it you have your phone turned off all day?
This is because we didn’t have this system for Covid so we had to go cap in hand to the network providers to send out texts on uk gov behalf isn’t it
>Phone users will be unable to use other features on their devices unless they acknowledge the alert, due to be sent on Sunday April 23.
>
>**Initially**, the scheme will focus on the most serious severe weather-related events, with the ability to get a message to 90% of mobile users within the relevant area in an emergency.
I know we had a couple of mass texts during covid, but a forced interaction like this feels like a step up.
Also the use of the word “Initially” points to the system abused in the future.
Think I’d rather just face the nuclear hellfire without any advance warning. Not like we can go anywhere. Just find a more comfortable place to be incinerated.
Hhhmmmm I wonder if they think something big and mushroom shaped could happen in the future. That or a warning for half inch of snow.
Worth remembering in the event of Nuclear attack via an ICBM you’ll have between 25-40m after the alert.
The royal family and prime minister will be rushed to the nearest shelter along with other heads of office so the plebs will have to take as much drinking water and food with you and find a space preferably underground.
Nice knowing you.
They are getting us ready for war, already getting us used to rationing.
Backup your data. If test and trace is what we’re to expect they’re gonna wipe out phones
This is stupid because you can guarantee some morons will have a meltdown on the day
“Only the government or emergency services will ever send the alerts, which will include the details of the area affected and provide instructions about how best to respond”.
It’ll definitely work a dream then, just like the NHS COVID contact app AND not be a prime target for malicious hackers wanting to disrupt and cause panic in a country they’re technically at war with.
Great, I’m on nights. Leave my phone on DND so only certain contacts can get me if there’s an emergency.
Looks like I’m getting woken up