Another testing of National Alert

[MollyButton]

AIBU to ask if people are aware: Apparently there is another test of the national Alert system happening in September. It’s crucial that people are aware it will happen especially those with some disabilities or in DV situations.
https://www.itv.com/news/2025-07-07/emergency-alert-to-hit-mobile-phones-in-national-test-heres-what-to-expect?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwLZMCVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHiAMlc8Hi8ZwEEpQytAAAehtyAe2NI34brKfl6iK0bVHV_C09yg-CR3DXf8f_aem_Z9muBhLduhdVxHRtvfwqYw

Yes was aware it was coming up at some point, thanks for the link as now we know the date! My phone didn't sound the alert last time, I hope they've fixed the issues that stopped some phones receiving the alert.

Maybe it's just me, but I can't help wondering what they're planning to use it for.

Most people have news alerts set up and/or check their phone very regularly for any breaking stories.

I can see how it could have been useful around 15-20 years ago, when loads of people had phones but not ones that were connected to the internet; but it just seems quite superfluous now, like the ship has long sailed.

Last time this alert stopped some phones from working

It didn't work for me last time, with 3. I was standing at a bar with DP and others and theirs all went off. Odd, but 3 did apologise, I wonder if they've fixed it.

Thank you for starting the thread.

i didn't know about it. It didn't work for me last time.
since my stroke I have my phone on me most of the tine. But on DND.

if it works this time. It would have given me a big fright if I didn't know they were doing testing.

I was in a cafe last time the test was run, and only one person's phone went off.

Maybe it's just me, but I can't help wondering what they're planning to use it for.

It will be similar things as other countries use the emergency alert for. Multiple countries have had it in place for years already and the UK are (as usual) lagging behind in implementing it.

It was used for real during one of the storms earlier this year when certain areas were on red warning for weather. Those in the red area got a message

Well, my last phone didn't ring during the alert so it will be interesting to see if my current one does.

They do use it for things like storms. But so far it’s only been used for specific areas.

I think with the possibility of WW3 within the next 2-3 years, as well as more routine emergencies e.g. storms this will be set up to alert in the event of e.g. nuclear power stations being damaged or, god forbid, a nuclear attack.

People may have extremely limited time to seek shelter, hence the need for an immediate alert, rather than relying on people to check phones/internet, which won't be working anyway as so many people will be using their phones at once.

The people killed in the early hours of a morning in the flash floods in Texas might have benefited from a warning, for example?
In 2021, flash floods in Germany killed 190 people. Around 200,000 people were told to evacuate Liege in Belgium as the river came extremely close to flash flooding the city centre.
Last year 232 were killed in flash floods in Valencia, Spain.

Before you say that doesn't happen here, flooding and extreme weather are likely to become more common in the UK. Tidal surges killed 307 people on one night in East Anglia in 1953. If you are asleep, you won't be checking your phone for alerts.

Hurricane/high winds: people still set off driving somehow oblivious to this and those are usually quite well forecasted.

In my home country in the region I'm from this system was activated during life threatening flooding last week. It has its uses.

To add this is an area that has never flooded before. There are more weather related extreme events happening.

I will be turning my phone off and storing it in a metal box. I have no intention of participating in state control.

I hope they change it so the message can still be read after being silenced. Last time I had to make it shut up fast, but then the message was gone. My natural instinct is to stop the racket immediately!

It can be sent if there is flooding, so say if York was about to flood they could send it to affected areas. If there is a fire in a chemical factory, the local area can be alerted to stay indoors. Also if there are wild fires, stuff like that - or if we go to war 😳

MOST people don’t. Many people in your demographic might but vast swathes of the population don’t operate like this. Some due to age old and young. Some due to personality type. Some due to how their demographic operate.

I had arrived in NZ the day before. That night my sleep was disturbed by some weird sound I thought was a car alarm. The next day in the supermarket everyone’s phone including mine went off.
I figured out what it was due to the message that pops up on the phone and days later clicked that that was what had gone off the night before.

It was weather warning as it was in the middle of floods and tsunami risks.

it worked very well and my UK phone now obv on a local network worked too.

How exactly is an alert controlling you?

(and anyway, if you’re going to the bother of turning your phone off and storing it in a metal box, you’re already being controlled - just not on the way you think!)

I was in the theatre last time, and we were told at the beginning that everyone had to turn off their phones, not just silence them. It was made very clear. So when the siren went off, it was a nice embarrassment for those who thought the guidance didn't apply to them.

Ooh that's going to be fun - our town has their annual fair that Sunday, which is always packed.... it's going to be loud 😆😆

Great way for Secondary schools to find out which pupils haven't turned their phone off!!

I know in Germany, they introduced a similar system after a massive storm... many people were completely oblivious and missed the alerts about schools closing etc. My DCs school mistimed it completely and managed to send the school buses out to take the children home just as it hit. (The time being taken up alerting alm the parents and recalling the buses to the school to.pick up the pupils)

Not a bad idea! The whole idea of this "alert" is just performative nonsense. As if anybody is interested!

Oh grow up. And don't complain if you affected by flooding, a gas leak, major fire or any of the other risks that's far more likely to happen than whatever sinister dread event that people are imaging is going to happen just because the UK is finally catching up with the rest of the world in using technology that just about everyone uses to efficiently alert large numbers people to threats as quickly as possible.