The UK Government have announced recently that they plan to broadcast a test alert to every smartphone on the evening of St George’s Day (23rd April). The alert will last for around 10 seconds, broadcasting a loud siren sound (even if device is on silent) and users will be locked out of their device until they acknowledge the alert.
For many this will be fine, however there are many cases where this could cause distress. Some people suffer from sensory issues and would be affected by the loud siren sound, maybe ex-soldiers struggling with PTSI or even people in abusive relationships who have a secret phone to keep in touch with friends and family.
Whatever the reason for turning off the alerts, you can do this easily by following these instructions.
Apple iPhone
Head to Settings > Notifications
Scroll right down to the bottom and you’ll see Emergency Alerts
Simply uncheck the toggle next to both Alerts
Android Phones
The process for android phones is very similar but may vary depending on your device manufacturer and operating System Version. Head to Settings and search for Emergency Alert you should see something similar. Simply turn off each option.
It’s worth keeping the emergency alerts switched on unless you are 100% sure you don’t want them, they are designed to alert you to specific events and emergencies, from localised flooding, wild fires, terror incidents and severe weather warnings.
More information can be found below
#EdTech Network Manager, experienced in Microsoft 365, Server 2019, Intune, SCCM and anything inbetween.