The UK Government will this weekend launch a new emergency phone alert system to warn of ‘life-threatening situations’.
A siren-like emergency warning message will be sent by the Government to mobile phone users across the UK on St George’s Day, Sunday 23rd April, to test the new public alert system.
Phone users will be unable to use other features on their devices unless they acknowledge the alert.
The system – modelled after similar schemes in the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan – is intended to be used in life-threatening situations including flooding and wildfires.
What does the alert look and sound like? 🚨
Emergency Alerts will appear on the home screen of your device and you will hear a loud siren-like sound and feel a vibration for up to 10 seconds.
Watch the video below 📽️👇 pic.twitter.com/U0ZvNr31yt
— Cabinet Office (@cabinetofficeuk) March 19, 2023
Those who want to opt out of the alerts will be able to via their phone’s settings but officials have said they hope the life-saving potential of the messages means that users will keep them on.
