About Emergency Alerts

Emergency Alerts appear on your device's home screen. You have to acknowledge them before you can use your phone’s other features. They appear as a notification and may include telephone numbers or website links containing further information. A loud, siren-like sound and vibration will accompany the message to raise awareness of the hazard or threat.

Emergency Alerts may include a phone number or a link to gov.uk/alerts where further information will be available. Emergency alerts can only be sent by emergency responders or the Government.

Read the message carefully. An Emergency Alert is likely to include a link to gov.uk/alerts where further information is contained, and/or a helpline. Alerts are sent to warn you when lives are in danger, and potentially, in some cases, for test purposes. Take the appropriate action as directed and consider alerting others in the area who may not have received or seen the message.

You should not read or respond to an emergency alert whilst driving or riding a motorcycle. 

Find somewhere safe and legal to stop before reading the message. If there is nowhere safe or legal to stop close by, and nobody else is in the vehicle to read the alert, tune into live radio and wait for bulletins until you can find somewhere safe and legal to stop.

Follow the link for more information and advice on the latest legislation around driving and using a mobile phone. You MUST NOT hold a mobile phone while driving or riding a motorcycle. It is illegal to do so. You must have hands-free access such as voice command, a dashboard holder or mat, or a windscreen mount and the device must not block the driver’s view of the road or the traffic.

Emergency Alerts require no personal information (such as telephone number, identity or location). Emergency alerts are one-way and do not provide any feedback on the recipients’ location or whether they have received an alert. The recipients’ telephone numbers and specific locations are not required, known or used, and no personal information on recipients of Emergency Alerts is shared by the Mobile Network Operators and no personal information is gathered by the government or the Mobile Network Operators.

There are no charges to receive Emergency Alerts. Alerts are sent on a channel that is separate from normal text and data traffic. While the alerts may look like text messages, they are not and will not be charged to your bill. Additionally, if you use Pay-As-You-Go and find yourself out of credit, you will still receive alerts.

The primary language is English. Sending dual language English/Welsh messages is also possible for alerts in Wales. We will continue to investigate the use of the technology for messages sent in other languages to increase the effectiveness and reach of the service.

Emergency Alerts should be received on the majority of mobile handsets. However, you will not receive an alert when:

• When a device connects to 3G or a 2G signal. A device needs to be on 4G or 5G to receive the alert
• When a device does not have the latest software update or the software update has not been released (older devices have a slower update cycle). This will not be possible if the device is no longer supported with updates and will therefore be unable to receive alerts
• The device is not a 4G/5G enabled or has been locked to 3G or 2G/3G
• The device is switched off or in airplane/ flight mode
• The handset is not connected to a mast broadcasting the Emergency Alert. However, if the device connects to a mast which is broadcasting before the alert is cancelled, it will receive the alert and show it to its user.

4G/5G-enabled tablets that support a SIM can receive alerts. Some Apple Watches will receive alerts depending on whether they are attached to a phone or not.

The following options will be visible when you update your phone to the latest software.

For iPhones

• Open Settings
• Select Notifications
• At the bottom of that screen, make sure the Extreme and Severe Alerts toggles are on.

For Samsung phones

Individual phones may vary, depending on software version.

• Android 11: Settings > Search for “emergency alerts” OR Settings > Notifications > Advanced Settings > Emergency Alerts
• Android 10 and older OS versions: Messages app > Settings > Emergency Alert settings > Emergency Alerts

For other Android Phones

The Emergency Alert settings are dependent on the manufacturer and model. Generally the settings can be found through one of the following ways:

• Open Settings > Sounds > Advanced. You should see an option for Emergency Broadcasts
• Open Settings > Wireless & Networks > More. You should see an option for Cell Broadcasts
• Open Settings > General Settings. You should see an option for Emergency Alerts
• Open the text message app and select Message Settings. You should see an option for Emergency Alert Settings
• Your alert settings may be called a number of different names including: Emergency Alerts, emergency broadcasts, or extreme threats or severe threats

For Huawei phones

Individual phones may vary, depending on software version. Please note that Emergency Alerts are turned on by default.

• EMUI 12: Settings and search for “emergency alerts” OR Settings > Sounds & vibration > More settings > Cell broadcasts. Make sure the Emergency Alerts toggles are on
• EMUI 11 and older OS versions: Settings and search for “emergency alerts” OR Settings > Sounds & vibration > More settings > Cell broadcasts. Make sure the “Extreme threats” and “Severe threats” toggles are on

Emergency Alerts are just one of many tools the Government has to communicate with the public about emergency situations. The service will be one source of information in the event of a life-threatening emergency. Existing procedures will still be in place, so those without a mobile will still be made aware through the news and local emergency services, for example.

Alerts will be limited to extreme weather events like flooding. Future messages are expected to include these as well as fires, public health emergencies and other life-threatening or major incidents.

How frequently might I get them?

The likelihood of receiving a message in any given year is low. The most frequent use is expected to be for flooding, but frequency depends on your personal proximity to threats.

It is possible to opt out of the system if you need your phone to stay concealed. Once Emergency Alerts are fully operational their use cannot be predicted as they will be used in emergencies. The choice is yours, but we strongly recommend that people do not opt out of the service, as it is intended to warn you when lives are in danger.

Members of the public can opt out of receiving all emergency alerts, to do so search for emergency alerts in your phone’s settings. It is not possible to opt out of alerts by type of hazard, for example only receiving messages about flooding but not for industrial accidents. See gov.uk/alerts for more details.

Mobile network operator tests

To opt out of mobile network operator tests, search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’ and turn off Test alerts.

Android phones and tablets

• To opt out, search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’ and turn off Severe alerts and Emergency alerts
• On Huawei devices running EMUI 11 or older, search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’ and please turn off “Extreme threats”, “Severe threats” and “Show amber alerts”
• If this does not work, contact your device manufacturer

Apple iPhone

To opt out, search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’ and turn off Severe alerts and Emergency alerts

If this does not work, contact your device manufacturer. For further advice go to gov.uk/alerts to see how emergency alerts work.

An Emergency Alert looks and sounds very different to other types of messages such as SMS ‘text messages’. You’ll know if you get an Emergency Alert because you’ll hear a loud, siren-like sound and your phone will use a distinct vibration. You have to acknowledge them before you can use your phone’s other features. They appear as a notification and may include a phone number or a link to gov.uk/alerts, where you’ll also be able to check that an alert is genuine.

If you receive an alert but are still in doubt about the origins of the message, go to gov.uk/alerts or contact neighbours, friends or family in the nearby area to check whether they have received it too.

You can validate that an alert is real by going to gov.uk/alerts - legitimate alerts will always be uploaded here so you can check whenever you receive one.

If you believe you have received a scam SMS text, report it by forwarding it to 7726. Do not click on any links in the SMS text message. You will not be able to forward a genuine Emergency Alert message.

Emergency Alerts may include a phone number or a link to gov.uk/alerts where further information will be available. Emergency alerts can only be sent by emergency responders or the Government.

Where possible, messages will be sent out during normal waking hours. However, there may be situations where messages need to be sent overnight (for example for severe flooding) where it is vital to inform you as soon as possible. A public test of the system will never be carried out overnight.

You will not receive an alert. However, once your phone has power, is switched on and connected to the network, it will receive the Emergency Alert assuming it is being broadcast at that time and the threat has not passed.