To think there’s something a bit sinister about the Government Emergency Alert test on 7th September?

[ThisAmberSignal]

I know it’s being pitched as just a routine safety check, “nothing to worry about” but I can’t help but feel uneasy. Why now? Why the sudden push to roll this out and get everyone’s phones buzzing at the same time?
Is it really just a public safety measure or could there be something more going on here - surveillance, control, a soft rollout of something bigger?

AIBU to feel suspicious… or do others get the same vibe?

Everyone in my office got a text at a similar time during the week to tell them this was happening but I didn’t 😂 don’t think I’ve turned anything off but it’s perfectly possible!
I remember the last one, ds and I were in Costco of all places - the sound of a thousand phones all Blaring with the emergency message made us all jump even though we knew it was coming!

Grow up. What a petulant attitude, did you all have your arms crossed, stamping your feet whilst shaking your heads at the time, too? They have to test these things out JUST INCASE of something like a nuclear attack or the entire national grid goes down for example. With a population as big as we’ve become, how on earth else do you propose they inform everyone? Messages through toasters?!? Carrier pigeons en mass?!?!

If they didn’t test these things then you’d all be the ones saying “Why didn’t they bloody well test it out first? How ridiculous” 🙄

This reminds of when the local councils announce essential & often long overdue road repairs on social media and there’s 100s of angry face reactions 🤦🏼‍♀️ How exactly do people expect them to fix the road then?! Magic wand?!

So if there's a flash flood in the middle of the night, or a crazed gunman wandering around your neighbourhood you will somehow already know about it and don't need to be alerted. Well, aren't you quite the special one?

If you think you are so wonderful that you don't need any kind of alert then turn them off on your phone, but there is no need to act oh so superior on MN because I have news for you - you're not.

It really is hilarious that some people are having a tantrum over their phone making a slightly different beepy noise once for a few seconds. Heaven forbid.
Just imagine how many people’s lives could’ve been saved during WW2, or even just the Blitz in London alone, if we’d had the technology to have these kind of alerts back then... As many people couldn’t hear the siren for various reasons, not just deafness. Also, often times they just didn’t get to the sirens in time. Thousands of lives would’ve been saved and as unlikely as another WW2-style attack is in present day, we do have a much bigger threat. Not only that but extreme, life threatening weather events that occur seemingly out of nowhere. Emergency flood alerts would save lives and help people save possessions & animals.

But yeah, “ThEy’Re StUpId”

Especially since the three network didn't even get it 😒

We had the bloody thing go off last year! Apparently we were in a high weather warning, we were 50 miles away from the nearest high winds, the whole restaurant spent 20 mins trying to shut it off! Now permanently disabled ( on advice from an IT consultant) as it's completely useless.

Yes the government has a whole department to create conspiracies just to give something for people to post about on MN, same as the warnings in WWII they were not there to help people

I do worry for people who like to create drama out of eveerything thry can think of, it has been tested before so what control etc. came out of it then? Schools shouldn't have to do this but it would be great if they can think more critical thinking it may raise the nation's intelligence level no wonder tabloids and influencers are popular

I have decided not to switch the alert off, I read a post saying how to do it but as I did not get the previous test, I thought I’d like to hear it to know what it sounds like! My iPad sometimes gives loud beeps for no reason which I just ignore but I think it’s important to know the sound just in case of a localised weather warning or something.

As I’m not with EE or another provider which did not work last time, I wonder if I just missed it or ignored it so I’m going to pay attention - I like to be prepared!

My reason for turning it off is that since the facility exists it will inevitably get used more and more for increasingly minor things.

I've read some of the comments on here for situations where it has already been used and I am stunned. If it is honestly being used to deliver messages like "storm warning - avoid unnecessary travel" and "danger of falling trees" I can happily do without the spam.

Why was it going off for 20 minutes?
It's meant to be a 10 second sound.

Out of interest, what could be the possible hidden agenda/conspiracy around this?

It had my DC a bit worried, rumours flying at school that we’re on the brink of WW3. I feel sorry for the kids.

The government can't even scam hmrc without getting caught how could they come up with a master mind sinister scheme?

You’re being ridiculous tbh. It’s nothing new - they did one last year on 6th December 2024. I remember it well, as it was the same evening our little one met Father Christmas for the first ever time, and we were driving back from Cornwall and he decided to SCREAM because he’d been so good in his stroller all evening and was upset to then be back in the car without the opportunity to run around first (it was raining and we’d walked around a Christmas night garden also). We had to pull over, sort him out, and get going again - and just as we pulled back onto the road, our phones both suddenly blared out and scared the life out of us. 😂 Not to mention it set our son off again! 🤦🏼‍♀️ It’s just a routine test and nothing to worry about!

That makes sense.

Have you ever been abroad? Most other countries have an emergency alert. One went off in Japan once whilst we were there, and when we were in America, there is nothing to worry about. Nothing to do with control… it’s literally just a test.

This isn’t new, we have had tests before and we have also had it happen for real due to a red weather warning in my area within the last year.

If you know you are going to be driving it might be wise to turn it off anyway for the test

Putin….

Just not if you happen to be driving. You can't check the text message unless you have a Bluetooth connection, which a lot of older cars don't have.

I got sucked into the hype last time and turned mine off, so I’m glad they are doing anotner, as I want to see that mine works this time.

I’m sorry I seem to have touched a nerve. Not my intention. Activate them or not, it matters not to me. I’ve just explained why I haven’t, and the circumstances under which I might :)

Switch the emergency signal off and it won't go off on Sunday.

No idea! It was like in waves half the people in the room then the other, then people would manage to turn it off then it would start again 🤷

Sorry, going off on a bit a tangent here. If you have a secret phone because of domestic violence, wouldn't it be wise to have it turned off unless you actually needed to use it? Just thinking about the odd times I have received spam calls/texts on mine out of the blue.