Millions of people will receive a 'warning of disaster'
On April 23, millions of mobile phone users in all four UK nations are set to receive a "warning of disaster" test alert on their mobile phones. After a six-week public awareness campaign, the government believes a large proportion of the UK population will be ready for the warning sound with the level of awareness of Sunday's test 'very high'.
The new smartphone Emergency Alert, which has been nicknamed the ‘Armageddon Alert’ by some, has been designed to notify large proportions of the country about a potential danger in their area. It is initially expected to be used for life-threatening weather warnings where action is needed such as flood or wildfire. Loud alarms and a warning message will be activated on mobile devices.
What if I cannot receive emergency alerts It is understood that the alert will have the ability to get a message to 90% of mobile users within a relevant area in an emergency, based on tests. However, if you have an older phone that isn't compatible or you don't have a mobile at all, you’ll still be informed in the event of a real emergency. The emergency services have other ways to warn you when there is a threat to life.
Vulnerable groups The cabinet office says that it has been working with charities such as domestic violence charities and others and advises those vulnerable who have a secret phone for emergencies that they wouldn't wish to be discovered, should either switch off their phone during the alert time or put it on airplane mode. There is also the option to switch off alerts entirely by altering the settings on the device - see how to do this below.
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