The Government have announced that on Sunday 23 April 2023 at 3pm there will be a national test of the UK Emergency Alerts service. The purpose of this test is in advance of a new UK government service that will alert the public if there is a danger to life nearby.
In a national or public emergency, your mobile device or tablet will receive an alert with instructions on what you need to do in order to keep safe.
This action has had coverage from most national news outlets across the UK to make the public aware of this test and it is important to note that this is government lead and is not something that the mobile networks can prevent from happening.
For more information about this alert including:
The Government have put an information page together which includes the following:
o Reasons why you may get an alert in the future
o What happens when you get an emergency alert
o What you need to in instances such as driving
o If you cannot receive the alerts
o If you are deaf, hard of earing or partially sighted
o Alert Languages
Can these alerts be turned off?
Our research on this topic advises that devices may alert even if they are switched off or on silent however, within the settings of most mobile devices you can manage your notifications via the application manager.
It is important to carefully consider your own reasons and circumstances for wanting to turn these notifications off. Our advice would always be to follow the information that has been set out by the Government in cases of National and Public safety.
For more information visit blog article which has a link to the Government page.