To think the government should retest the mobile phone emergency alert?

[listsandbudgets]

For some reason I had an horrendous nightmare last night about a scenario where this didn't work and it got me thinking.

You may remember that they did this a couple of years ago maybe more so that all mobile phones would alert at once.

To my knowledge they've not tested it since. It's not that (apart from in my nightmares) I'm particularly expecting an emergency but wouldn't it be better for them to identify any issues that could have developed with the system before they actually need it? I'm not a techy but I could imagine things like phone software and security updates might have caused issues.

Whichever. One of the cheap euro ones piggybacks on 3 too 🤷🏼‍♀️ that one didnt work either whichever one it was.

I know what it is for ffs. Whose to say they wouldn’t report the death of the king? I live rurally. There are no chemical plants near here, no rivers for flash floods. Natural disasters unheard of. Nuclear war and we are all fucked. There are no bunkers. So I choose to opt out.

They certainly discussed testing it every two years. Not sure if that has been put in place.

There was definitely another test alert - but it might have been localised or maybe for people that didn't get the first one, as in didn't get the first one, but I got one a while later.

I switched mine off so I didn't get the last alert.

Do you only ever stay in your postcode area or do you travel around the country, like ever? 🙄 But from your comments, I'm not convinced it'd be the latter anyway.

no thank you I don’t want to receive a bloody text from the government when I can’t trust them at the best of times

This.

I never got the last one. I'm on Vodafone at the moment.

Can't say I ever give it that much thought.

I’m with O2.

If there was a flood affecting your property or a chemical spill in your town you wouldn't want to know?

That's fine, but I most people would prefer to know.

It didn't go off when Elizabeth II 'snuffed it' so why do you think it would go off for Charles?

So because you've had a bad dream we all have to go along with nanny state overreach, again?! 😂

They used it in my area recently when there was a chemical explosion with a huge contaminant cloud. My husband did not get any messages on his Samsung.

@2MargerinesOnTheGo “it would make me jump” you cannot be being serious 🤦‍♀️

I never received the test one. Changed some settings on my phone. They've not tested it since so I've no idea if my changes have worked.

So yes, I think they should do a retest.

This popped into my head this week too.
I do think it needs a regular test sent. But it also needs to be used !!

I was in Greece this summer and when i was in a restaurant everyone's went off to warn us of wildfire smoke so it definitely works and is used. Although none of the Greeks took any notice 😅

Yes... next week I'll be dreaming about how dieticians have got it wrong and chocolate, coffee and cake is actually really really good for us

I didn't get it, and neither did any of my family. I guess the zombie plague will get us.... 😂
Seriously, I'm sure that the constant BBC News alerts will tell us (given I've had them for weirdly inconsequential things.)

I think as it was used earlier in the year that is a good test. Unfortunately any time you pick for a test is inconvenient for someone, or perhaps an event where there is a large crowd and could cause panic/crushing etc.

I wonder if it's better that it's not tested too regularly, as it might make it feel less urgent when it's used in real life. I expect every time the government announces a test, more people will disable it on their phones.

Maybe we don't need every single phone to go off anyway. I noticed with the bomb alert that if someone's phone didn't go off, they were near someone else who got it and so were aware. Friends and family got onto group chats to talk about it too.

What I would like - I don't think it's an option but correct me if I'm wrong - is the option to get the message without the ridiculous loud noise alongside.

I turned it off, it's just a thing to appease the anxious

Oh god no - the drama last time over it was unbelievable, with people seriously thinking the government could see their phones or control their phones or whatever and then teh anxiety brigade freaking out and the 'i dont even care if the world goes kaput' lot freaking out..

Going through that every year or two... jeeeez.

Can't believe the mentality of some of these comments. Might make me jump. Jeez.

I have had alerts twice on my phone, both in the US. The first was warning of a landslide following heavy rain. This was really useful has we had planned to use that route later in the day and it meant we could go another way. The second was an alert to look out for a vehicle, make, colour, registration which had been used in a child abduction.

Both very worthwhile and useful.