26 June 2025, 16:59
Picture:
Getty
Every phone in the UK will blast a ten-second alert at some point this year to prepare residents for receiving information in a crisis.
Devices will blare when the government tests its Emergency Alert System, which operates as a warning to all and also provides directions for what to do next.
The system was launched in 2023 as a way to warn the public if there is danger to life nearby and has so far been used four times, most recently for Storm Darragh updates.
It is thought that the government wants to test the system again in light of Iran and Israel entering a state of war, with the US getting involved in the missile fire.
Previous alerts were sent in January and the message 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.”
Picture:
Alamy
The date of the test has not been confirmed and it is understood that it will be the last one of 2025 – with security services henceforth willing to test the system once every two years.
The alarm will go off even if devices are set to silent and will sound with a loud alarm and vibration, different to a standard notification tone.
It is possible to turn off the alerts, should you not want to be bothered by the siren.
On Apple devices, you can go to settings, notifications, then scroll down to the bottom where it says extreme and severe alerts. Tap the toggle to either turn them on or off.
On Android, go to settings, search ’emergency alerts’, then turn off alerts for extreme and severe threats.
