Why you might receive emergency alert warning on your phone unexpectedly
87 million devices are set to be sent a 10-second warning at some point this year
Millions of people across the UK are set to receive an emergency alert warning on their phone unexpectedly.
The Government has issued yet another test of its 'Armageddon alert' system which will see 87 million devices sent the 10-second warning.
The reason behind the Emergency Alert System (EAS) is to warn the public if there is a danger to life nearby and they will be carried out following a recommendation from the Covid inquiry with regards to crisis preparation.
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The alert in question has been rolled out four times since it was launched in 2023, with one of the most recent instances seeing it sent to Brits in relevant areas in the midst of Storm Darragh, advising them to stay indoors following the red warning from the Met Office.
When it was last tested, the message that appeared on phones reportedly read: "This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK Government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.
"In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.
"Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information.
"This is a test. You do not need to take any action."
The alert will also display a notification which will have to be acknowledged by the phone's user before being able use other features on their device.
The decision was announced in the House of Commons by Cabinet Office minister, Pat McFadden, who said: "Since July, we have also sent two emergency alerts to provide advice to the public in life threatening situations during Storm Darragh, for example, because of a very rare red danger to life warning, the alert was sent to over 3 million people in affected regions.
"And more recently, we issued a very localised warning over flooding danger.
"The government will carry out a full national test of the Emergency Alert System later this year. This will ensure that the system is functioning correctly, should it need to be deployed in an emergency."
The Labour minister also noted that the full national pandemic response exercise due later this year 'will be the first of its kind in nearly a decade'.
"It will test the UK’s capabilities, our plans, protocols and procedures in the event of another major pandemic," he added.
Similar alert systems have been used successfully in a number of other countries including the likes of the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan, during specific incidents such as severe weather events.
Rhiannon Ingle