UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Just a reminder.

The UK government will broadcast an Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test at 3pm today 23/04

This will be on all compatible mobile phones and tablets and you should hear it even if your device is on silent, you should hear a loud siren sound and vibration for 10 seconds and a message displayed on the home screen, however although it's not recommended you do have the ability to disable Emergency Alerts in your devices settings, this maybe something you wish to do if you're driving during the test.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65177316
https://www.gov.uk/alerts

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I’ve disabled mine.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I would think only a few people in the area of each mobile phone tower need to receive it, in order to test the system. The danger is that if people disable receipt of the message, instead of turning their phone off, and don't re-enable it, they might miss out on any real situations.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Could I ask why?

I don't question your decision just interested in your reason.

I am also interested in seeing if I end up with 2 alerts as I have a duel sim phone with both sims active. I believe it isn't triggered by our phone numbers but sent to all phones and, if so, will only be recieved the one time. Sorry if I'm not making sense but my brain isn't in gear yet. Too many meds. :D

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Isn't the point though to test that it goes to everyone? (well, almost everyone).

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I want to experience it as I'm not driving, I should get it on my mobile phone but the article says tablet too and mine isn't 4G/5G just WiFi.

Let the chaos begin, there are going to be lots of people not aware of these tests, and people with health and age issues that will not understand it and panic, but it has to be done.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I'd have guessed twice (as it's two radios, potentially registered to two masts), but proof will be in the pudding. Unless of course the phone itself recognises the second receipt as a duplicate of the first.

---------- Post added at 11:51 ---------- Previous post was at 11:49 ----------

It defo needs to be a 4G/5G enabled tablet to receive the broadcast. The Guardian article highlights mobile enabled Android tablets but not mobile enabled iPads. My guess is that Apple have disabled calling/SMS features (if you link with an iPhone, it uses the iPhone for those purposes) and is solely a data function.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I'll wrap mine up in pillows to muffle it. :D

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Everyone who happens to be making a mobile phone call at 3pm are going to have a heart attack!

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

The test isn't of people's phones, but whether the tower will transmit the signal to all phones in it's area. Only a few phones in each area need to be on or enabled to test it. As long as there is no selection process, then the test will still be valid.

Systems in the future could change and technology upgraded. Will the system have to be retested then?

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I think you are missing the point of the system.

Potentially. Countries that utilise the technology already (e.g. the United States) have tested it on multiple occasions, in addition to live use cases.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

What if threre's a real emergency at 3pm?

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Head to Twitter, where one third of the users will deny it's happening.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

And another third will blame the "libs"…

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Whilst many of the rest will don tasteful tin hats as they know the signal is designed to activate the nanodes that were implanted via covid vaccines.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Christ! I hope our two phones, four tablets and my Apple Watch don’t all go off at the same time - it’ll scare all the cats in the neighbourhood!

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I have just visited my local FB account and just had to show you all a great post. Scary knowing that this person lives in my vacinity.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

He’s been watching too much science fiction!

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

There are alot of thick bloody idiots about, they're probably flat earthers and COVID vaccine 9/11 conspiracy theory nut Jobs too and anything else you can think of.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Went off early to trick us hahaa

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Same here as both ours went off at 14.59.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

3pm and nothing happening here.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Wasn't as loud as I was expecting it to be. Just a louder buzz, rather than a piercing screaming noise.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I put mine inside a disused microwave oven. (Faraday shield) Silence is golden. :D

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Well that was quite painless. :D I didn't detect any adverse effects at all.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Yeah l thought it was going to be louder then that.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Strange I got nothing, the test failed for me then, I'm disappointed.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Not too loud but it would certainly attract my attention.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

How old is your phone and what model is it?.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

It's not old S20FE 5G and everything is enabled, the test just didn't work.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I didn't receive it :mad:

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Watching the live snooker, and people are receiving it long after 3pm.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Yeah l an just reading a live news feed and it seems quite a few phone users got nothing.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Interestingly when I got the phone out and it reconnected got the alert. Not as loud as the text receipt tone.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

If people switched their phone off, or on airplane mode, then back on they will receive it once the phone attaches to the network unless the message itself has been expired centrally.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Mrs K didn't get it, I did. Only works for later android versions apparently. Those with old phones get to die in ignorance I guess, probably for the best.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Potentially outside a 4G/5G coverage area? If (as an example) you are on Wi-Fi and your phone happily connected to 2/3G then I suspect it wouldn't get the message.

There's no technical reason why older 2G and 3G handsets wouldn't get the message as cell broadcast technology is long established. So my assumption is that the Government are choosing not to broadcast it from 2G or 3G towers.

Slightly odd as you'd imagine it'd be most useful in rural areas for extreme weather/flooding type events that may not have 4G.

Edit: it's being reported that the Three network (and MVNOs that rely upon it) may not have broadcasted it.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

So now i know what to expect when the Aliens attack. I can move on with my life :)

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I'm on Smarty which uses the Three network, if I turn WiFi off I get 4G.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I am on the O2 Classic and I did not get the message

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Well I was working out in the garden at the time and didn't have my phone on me. only noticed it when I came back in about 15 minutes later as my phone still had the message on the screen.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

2G and 3G networks will all have been retired by their operators by 2033 at the latest. Presumably el gov didn’t think it useful enough to insist the technology was installed on them. In any case, 3G was never rolled out as extensively as it might have been (arguably, Nu Labour prioritised high spectrum bids over onerous licence requirements around geographical coverage). Rural areas are the very place you never get a 3G signal.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I knew nothing about it, and my phone was off, as it usually is.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I knew CCHQ would have lines on it, thanks!

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

The 2G/3G ‘latest’ switch off date is on the Ofcom website … the rest of it is informed speculation (informed by the fact they obviously didn’t want to spend anything on this at all, and have been dragged kicking and screaming into Doing Something after lots of people suggested this would have been a Nice To Have during covid).

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

If only there was money in it for Michelle Mone it’d have been in place during the first lockdown, whether it was fit for purpose or not!

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Underwhelmed!

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Totally agree + here the message was first in Welsh ( spoken by about 15% of the population) if that urgent 85% would be wondering what on earth 🌎 is going on . Phone was in other room if I hadn't been listening out for it would have totally missed it . To me it wasn't even that loud , yes phone on full volume :erm:

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I have the same phone and it worked for me.

---------- Post added at 17:52 ---------- Previous post was at 17:50 ----------

I'm with Three and recieved it.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I am on O2 and got it.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I guess you have to keep up or die.

Careful as you go, Mr K!

---------- Post added at 18:18 ---------- Previous post was at 18:15 ----------

You’ll never receive calls if you keep your phone switched off, Taf!!

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I received it, apparently, but didnt hear it at the time, saw the message on my screen when I looked about 20 minutes later.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

My phone is an A10, 2 years old, my nokia work phone did receive the alart and it came with a voiceover saying this is a government message, it wasn't with me at the time but scared the crap out of office staff, also had a long message and a pop up asking me if I want to continue receiving alerts

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

What is the point of them? I can’t conceive of a “National emergency” that could impact me to the level that would warrant the government sending an unsolicited text to prepare for it.

So I’d rather not have them mithering me.

---------- Post added at 18:45 ---------- Previous post was at 18:42 ----------

2G will continue to the bitter end of switch off date most likely, but 3G will disappear quite quickly

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

You can turn off emergency texts, but I mean come on, it's just a text. Hopefully you'll never get one for real. Not exactly worth moaning about is it.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I guarantee you’ll never get one that means anything.

I also wasn’t moaning, I was asked why I had turned it off, and I answered.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Remember this?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/c...s-sms-messages

But as I understand it, the new system is more likely to be used for local emergencies, such as flooding.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

That's my secret. ;) No-one can call me if it's off. ;)

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

My phone was on, but I never got the alert.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

We had 4 phones in the house (3 iPhones, 1 Android, all O2), and we all received it at 14:59.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

The thing is, the Government (if they wanted to) can still send a message using this system to every phone in an area. They'd just have to use the highest level of alert which isn't optional.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Don't they also post on here? ;)

Not only did I get the alert a couple of seconds before Mrs G, my OnePlus 7pro also read the text out loud too, while her iPhone didn't.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

:D

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I live on the moors.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

So the test was a failure, so I'd expect it to be tested again at some point even though El Gov said it was a success. Three network are looking into why it didn't happen. Three or the Gov can't explain why it didn't happen for some.

In the age of social media and 24 hour news, it does seems like a bit of a pointless exercise.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Not everyone who has a smartphone uses Facebook or Tw*tr regularly, if at all. In a situation where there’s immediate threat to life you can’t rely on someone checking Facebook to find out. What this system is, in effect, is a hard-coded messaging app with uber-push capabilities. It relies on our love of smartphones because that’s what gives it the ability to reach (almost) everyone, immediately. When you look at the TV coverage of people in their local high street yesterday, how many of them would have been checking Facebook or Tw*tr often enough to have got the alert anything like as quickly?

I have no idea whether they declared the test a success because they’re incapable of telling the truth about anything or if they have data from comparable systems elsewhere in the world. Regardless, now they’ve gone down this route I hope they’re committed to doing it properly, even if that means research, improvement and another national test.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I got it and was in the middle of a field so received it all well and good.


I do not understandwhy people would want to disable it?!
The only reason would be for people with a hidden phone, such as victims of domestic abuse or other such situations.


However for everyone else, it makes complete sense to leave it switched on.


Anyone thinking it is the government spying on you or hacking into your phone is living in cloud cuckoo land.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I wouldn't need a text from the government to advise me of that situation. The smoke and big orange glow would give it away.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Unless it was night-time and you were sound asleep, and the wind was blowing the flames towards you…

Or, there had been a toxic chemical spill near you, and the wind was blowing the fumes your way…

Or, a mains gas feed had been fractured near you.

Or, the local drinking water supply had been contaminated.

Or, there was a terrorist incident near you.

Because the whole point of the emergency alert system is

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I wonder how many people who disable it will remember to do so every time they upgrade their phone.

Although I agree with the principle of having it switched on I can’t really blame anyone for not trusting this Govermment.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

So in all those hypothetical, localised, scenarios the government would get a text out to me before the Emergency Services have either assessed the immediate danger and contacted me directly or have contained the situation?

You have a lot a faith in the competence of the government!

No, the text system will not be used for any of the above, and if it is it will probably sent way after the danger has either communicated by another source or dealt with.

What it will most likely be used for is weather warnings and such like, which are already communicated on TV, or if you have the met office app, via that.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I'm on Vodafone and it came through in Morse Code :D

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

If you are interested, the government does periodic risk assessments of potential incidents that could affect the country. The current document is here.

For lovers of risks assessments, there is a table on page 9 which charts the likelihood and severity of potential events. He highest severity events are a pandemic disease which wouldn’t probably require immediate action and a major CBRN event which definitely would. For the highest likelihood, you have a terrorist attack in a public place which might be helpful to know about ASAP.

Text messages and tv announcements are great but don’t have the ability to localise to the level of the emergency alert system to one mobile phone cell. Imagine a major CBRN event, you could tell people in the zone to hide indoors but people outside of the zone to stay away. Never let humans make judgements about risk if they don’t have all the facts known at that time., we are terrible at it!

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

7% of compatible mobile are estimated not to have received the alert, Three say they have fixed their issue.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65391455

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

The tin foil hat brigade were out over this.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

I got a batch of delayed sms from EE all at the exact same time last night, asked family members and they had same thing, so seems this potentially screwed up EE's sms delivery platform.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Possibly, but could also be completely unconnected. FWIW I was getting SMS over EE last night without any issues. If all your family members are in the same general area it could simply be a local network issue. It happens.

Re: UK Emergency Alert Mobile Phone Test - 3pm 23/04
 

Maybe but its a big coincidence.

The last SMS I got on time was on the morning of the test, Sunday morning, then starting from that I was supposed to get about 6am Monday morning, up until last SMS sent to me by passport office on Wednesday, I had 6 SMS arriving not long before I made the post batched together.

One of my family members is 200 miles away from me.

--

correction, about 6 hours before I made the post around 7pm, didnt realise I posted so late, sorry.