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Some Android mobile phone users in England will get an 'emergency alert' from the government later today as part of a nationwide test of a new warning system.
It is the first of two tests this month, with the second also including iPhone users, but restricted to people in Reading. Both are purely a test and not a real warning.
The emergency alert system has been set up to give the government a way to quickly warn people of an impending risk to life from things like flooding or fire.
Users in the test will see this message between 13:00 and 14:00 BST: 'This is a mobile network operator test of the Emergency Alerts service. You do not need to take any action. To find out more, search for gov.uk/alerts.'
The warning is also able to trigger a 'loud siren-like sound' on the user's device and is based on systems built into iOS and Android. It is possible to opt out of some alerts.
The system only works for users connected to 4G and 5G masts and people with an iPhone running iOS 14.5 or Android running version 11.
The government hasn't said which networks are involved in the most recent test, but all networks have worked with the government on the new alert system.
Users in the test will see this message between 13:00 and 14:00 BST: 'This is a mobile network operator test of the Emergency Alerts service. You do not need to take any action. To find out more, search for gov.uk/alerts'
Flood alerts are one of the things the government will user the alert system to warn users about and it can be restricted to the local area
If tests go to plan the government will roll it out nationwide, and while users will be able to opt out in their phone settings, the most severe alerts will still get through.
The system makes use of mobile infrastructure - specifically 4G and 5G - sending the message to all devices connected to specific masts rather than to mobile numbers.
The same type of system is
