The government has warned Brits that every single phone in the UK is going to be pinged with an alarm to test the government’s emergency alert system, which is designed to warn people if there is a danger to life nearby.
Since the system launched in 2023, the alert system has been used four times for real, warning of two bomb threats in Plymouth in February 2024, flooding in Cumbria in April 2024 and Storm Darragh in December 2024.
In a statement, the Cabinet Office said: “This system is not designed to cause panic, but to ensure people are aware of imminent threats and can act quickly. This test is part of building national resilience and saving lives in future crises.”
So, what will the emergency alert say? And when will it be? Here’s everything you need to know – so you don’t freak out when it happens.
What will the emergency alert be like?
The alert will be a really loud siren noise that suddenly pops up on your phone at a random time. It will last for 10 seconds and your phone will also vibrate. Then, a message will be read out. If your device is on silent, it won’t make any noise but the message will still appear on the screen.
What does the alert look and sound like?
Emergency Alerts will appear on the home screen of your device and you will hear a loud siren-like sound and feel a vibration for up to 10 seconds.
Watch the video below
pic.twitter.com/U0ZvNr31yt
— Cabinet Office (@cabinetofficeuk) March 19, 2023
This is what the message will say
The alert is expected to say something similar to the last test in 2023, which said: “Severe Alert. This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.”
“In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe. Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information. This is a test. You do not need to take any action,” it continued.
When will the 2025 emergency alert be?
The last alert sounded on 23rd April 2023 at 3pm and it gets tested every two years, so it’s well overdue. It’s been confirmed that another test is coming in 2025, which means it will be at some point between now and December. However, an exact date hasn’t been revealed.
We can expect it to be soon, and the alert will likely be at the same time of day as the last one, at 3pm.
You can switch off emergency alerts, but that means you won’t be alerted in a real life-threatening emergency, so it’s not an advised. To do this on an iPhone, go to‘Settings’ > ‘Notifications’ and then toggle off ‘Extreme and severe alerts’.
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Featured image by: Canva
