On Sunday 23 April 2023 at 3pm, there will be a national test of the new UK Emergency Alerts service.

An Emergency Alert is a loud, siren-like sound with a message on your screen telling you about the emergency and how to respond. You’ll be able to check it is genuine at https://www.gov.uk/alerts

If you receive an alert, read the message carefully and follow the instructions.

Emergency Alerts are sent to all compatible 4G and 5G mobile phones when there’s an emergency. It looks and sounds very different to other types of messages such as SMS ‘text messages’ as it has a loud siren-like sound and a distinct vibration.

Depending on your phone’s features, the alert will work with screen magnification and may read the message out for you having overridden volume settings. The unique noise emitted by the phone should also be audible for those who use a hearing aid.

No mobile phone?

If you don’t have a mobile phone, don’t worry – you’ll still be made aware through the media and local emergency services.

You can opt out of receiving emergency alerts; for more information on how to opt out or to find out more about the service go to:

https://www.gov.uk/alerts