Phone alert

[Noddy21]

Can anyone explain to me why people are so against having an alert sent to their phones. I understand it’s a strange thing to set up if it is for what they say it’s is for ie floods and earthquakes etc, I believe it’s incase we go to war. But I see people saying it’s a way of the government trying to control us, I don’t see how it’s control. This is a genuine question and not to be controversial.

Who turns their phone off while driving? And why should they?

Other countries have had this for years, I see no issue in it other than people who may have secret phones for dv reasons
There's the elderly and vulnerable as well. Many may only have a smart phone rather than a dumb phone for ease of texting and as a camera. My grandmother's phone is set to 'easy mode', she doesn't find it easy to learn anything new with regards to technology. She doesn't want the alarm but I can't find how to turn it off.

@Okunevo it will be somewhere in Settings that you switch it off.
It varies from phone to phone, Apple vs Android etc but if you Google the make of the phone (or which phone company she is with) it should tell you how to do it.

If I can get over there I will have to try again. I looked everywhere I thought it could be, even put it in normal mode to check then back to easy mode again. I found it easily on my phone. All I can think of is that the option may not be there as the system is not being updated, it may be a recent addition?

Presumably a selection of people in other countries also turn it off.

And many didn't follow lockdown rules either, though there was a media blackout on much of that.

I object to the timing on a Sunday afternoon, just before local elections. I think it is timed to hope we think about something other than the appalling government we have.

The government can already control the phone system, there's a system in place that basically can shut down the entire cell tower network as and when needed.

We have this in the country I live in. I don't think we were warned in advance - if we were, I missed it. No big drama. It didn't get weeks of news coverage and endless outrage. People just clicked the message and carried on with their lives 🤷‍♀️

We have it for terrorism purposes primarily and haven't been disturbed by it since the test. If it's actually something important then yes I'd rather have an audible notification.

@BillyNoM8s

People just clicked the message and carried on with their lives 🤷‍♀️

This is a very simplistic and unrealistic view. You have no idea how other people may or may not be affected by this.

Also I just want to add, all the posters who don't see the problem, you are very very fortunate not to realise without having to be told by others just how this could affect them. Very fortunate indeed. Please don't use ignorance as a stick to beat us with though. You are not a better person because you 'don't get it' - you are just fortunate not to get it. Be a little bit considerate and remember we do t all live the same life.

I think people are just looking for an issue when there really isn't one there. Other countries have this system.

Some people seem determined to make a conspiracy theory out of anything. It's immature and silly. This attitude seems to come from America and it's a real shame that we share a language as far as I'm concerned. Do other Europeans behave like this?

Does anyone know if the alert will still sound if I am on holiday abroad next week?

How did they know it wasn't a scam? People are taught not to click on things that come up on their phones, or open suspicious text messages or emails.

I've not shared a link before so hopefully this will work.
More details on the test from BBC news.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65290166

Hey ! It worked 🙂

Only if you go to a country that sets off their disaster alert

@Snowdropsarelovely yes you won't get the test alarm because the alarm is being sent via UK phone towers.

@Needmorelego i thought it was Saturday for some reason when all the football is kicking off. I seriously am losing the plot 😬

For Android, it's in Settings/Safety and emergency/Wireless emergency alerts, then swipe off Allow alerts

Thankd but I've looked there. My grandmother's phone and mine are both android, it's easy to find on mine but I couldn't find it anywhere on her phone. When I got my phone three years ago and was looking through the settings I don't remember seeing it so I think it's an update, her phone is 2019 or earlier and doesn't get updated.

The system will run on 4g and 5g.

The 3G network is being phased out from next year

It could be worthwhile leaving the emergency alerts on, as phones that don’t pick it up could find themselves obsolete shortly

I’ve been overseas when it’s been used. It scared the shit out of me. The second time was in a restaurant by the sea, and remember that I just looked out across water expecting Tsunami wave and feeling like this could be end of times. The text message was to warn of forest fires in the area, and to forbid BBQs. There is some use to public broadcasting, but the very loud siren may be too much!

when there's a threat to life i.e. extreme weather or terrorist attack in the local area.

what about if you're hiding from a terrorise & your phones alarm goes off?

I'm only guessing here but I think it would work in a way that if there was a terrorist incident in (for example) an airport the mobile towers near the airport could be switched off so the alert wouldn't reach the phones who are getting their signal from them - so people hiding in the airport won't have their phones all going off. Or the alert simply wouldn't be sent to those towers.
The alert would then go out to via other phone towers so people would know not to travel towards the airport.
That's just guess work though.