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Original poster

Where were you today when the national emergency alert system pinged on your phone?

169 replies

Westfacing · 07/09/2025 17:23

I was on the Tube heading towards King's Cross.

Fellow passengers were impressed that it worked deep underground!

OP posts:
Letsgoroundagainnow · 07/09/2025 18:20

CeciliaDuckiePond · 07/09/2025 17:55

I was in Sainsburys and my phone was at home!

I heard plenty of other people's alarms going off.

I'm not in the habit of taking my phone with me everywhere.

Isn’t the point of a mobile to take it with you? 🤣

murasaki · 07/09/2025 18:21

Letsgoroundagainnow · 07/09/2025 18:20

Isn’t the point of a mobile to take it with you? 🤣

Show quote history

Unless you're my dad. He's better now, but he used to turn it off as nobody rang him. Er dad, we couldn't......

Now he's discovered WhatsApp, I wish he'd turn it off 🤣

LittleGreenDuck · 07/09/2025 18:23

By the side of a rugby pitch.

CharlotteStreetW1 · 07/09/2025 18:23

NeverOneBiscuit · 07/09/2025 17:41

In a restaurant. Alerts were going off at least 10 minutes after the original set time. It became quite funny, people joking that they were really important so they’d been alerted twice, that sort of thing.

Yes mine went off eight minutes late. Also in a restaurant.

Marianwallace · 07/09/2025 18:25

At a garden centre at the check out. The whole place went up.

Allbacktoschool · 07/09/2025 18:25

In the theatre - they some how managed to work it into the perfromance.

CeciliaDuckiePond · 07/09/2025 18:30

Letsgoroundagainnow · 07/09/2025 18:20

Isn’t the point of a mobile to take it with you? 🤣

Show quote history

Why would I need to phone anyone on a 30 min trip to Sainsbury's?

If someone phones me, I'll see it when I get home. Even in an emergency, there would be no practical benefit in getting the call at 15:05 instead of 15:35.

TobiasForgesContactLense · 07/09/2025 18:34

We were arriving at a venue for a kids party in a city centre so were in the vinty of several people. Didn't hear a single one go off. I got the message but no sound. DH got absolutely nothing!

Onelifeonly · 07/09/2025 18:35

I dont know when it pinged as I didn't hear it but when I saw it I was at a cafe with one of my daughters. She said she'd seen it earlier on her phone.

mondaytosunday · 07/09/2025 18:35

My son finally checked in and said he was napping and didn’t hear it! Is that even possible?

Pricelessadvice · 07/09/2025 18:37

Mine didn’t go off.

afaloren · 07/09/2025 18:37

On the sofa watching King and Conquerer. DH’s went off at the same time. Had warned DM but got a panicked message from her anyway!

TitaniasAss · 07/09/2025 18:38

In my new car. I'd forgotten about the alert and couldn't work out what was wrong with my car that it would be alerting me while I was on the A1.

Elektra1 · 07/09/2025 18:38

In my car turning off the motorway and honestly could have caused an accident as I was so agitated by what that noise was

sanityisamyth · 07/09/2025 18:40

Zodiacrobat · 07/09/2025 17:43

You’re terrified of pipes? How did this fear come about? That’s so unusual.

Show quote history

My grandparents had a loo with a high level cistern. When I was about 6, my sister (psychotic and a seriously nasty piece of work) locked me in overnight in the dark, and it was dripping. I have many unusual phobias because of her.

I can’t stand people standing behind me, and definitely no sudden movements behind me as she once dropped a sledgehammer over my head. Luckily I moved just in time or she’d have killed me.

I can’t walk under bridges or tunnels, or be in multi-storey car parks. I’m not claustrophobic as such, but certain types of buildings and spaces really really freak me out.

TeenToTwenties · 07/09/2025 18:40

In a tea room. Alerts echoed around the room on and off for 15 mins.

Trovindia · 07/09/2025 18:41

At a village fete, all the phones were going off!

Silverbirchleaf · 07/09/2025 18:43

Was driving out of a supermarket. Was quite funny watching people’s reactions, as they wondered where the noise was coming from, and then the realisation, and then looking down at their phones.

HurdyGurdy19 · 07/09/2025 18:45

On the sofa at home, watching Love Con Revenge on Netflix (follow up to The Tinder Swindler)

Barely noticed it.

MenopauseSucks · 07/09/2025 18:45

On the sofa watching The Thursday Murder Club. I’d actually drifted off after a heavy lunch so it was quite a brutal wake-up call… Now I’m re-watching TMC!

Enko · 07/09/2025 18:46

At the dinning table with dh , dd2&3 plus ds and his girlfriend. It wss amusing to hear when each phone went off. They all did but not at the same time.

youalright · 07/09/2025 18:48

CeciliaDuckiePond · 07/09/2025 18:30

Why would I need to phone anyone on a 30 min trip to Sainsbury's?

If someone phones me, I'll see it when I get home. Even in an emergency, there would be no practical benefit in getting the call at 15:05 instead of 15:35.

Show quote history

But what if you get in a car accident or your car breaks down or you witness a crime

youalright · 07/09/2025 18:49

Allbacktoschool · 07/09/2025 18:25

In the theatre - they some how managed to work it into the perfromance.

That's brilliant

LoudSnoringDog · 07/09/2025 18:49

Aldi and everyone went ooooohhhhhhhh

Thegreatestoftheseislove · 07/09/2025 18:50

I was at a local event. Mine did not sound, nor did I get a message. My friend's sounded and they got a text. It was amusing that the alarm did not sound for everyone at the same time - some got it sooner than others. The humour around that bought a sense of community to the event with those who got an early warning telling the rest of us that the shelters were already full. The sound was not very loud at all.