UK announces date and time for first nationwide test of Emergency Alerts system
The Apple Post
Posted On 06/04/2023 
The UK have announced the date and time for the nation’s first test of the Emergency Alerts system, which will send smartphone users an alert message pop up on their devices with a sound and vibration that will stop automatically after 10 seconds.
Emergency Alerts send emergency, government, and public safety notifications in the event of danger to life. When an alert is sent, devices play a loud siren-like sound, even if it’s set to silent, with an official message from the Government, which may include a link to the UK’s official GOV.UK website or contact numbers when required.
The nationwide test of the UK’s emergency alert service will take place at 3pm on Sunday 23 April, coinciding with the London Marathon and several Premier League games in the country.
By default, Government alerts are turned on, but Apple notes these can easily be turned off in Settings.
How to turn off Emergency Alerts on iPhone
Emergency Alerts are one of the quickest ways to spread information in the event of an emergency. While the special alerts are only intended to be used in states of emergency, in early 2018 Hawaii was thrown into a frenzy as officials mistakenly sent a ‘ballistic missile threat’ emergency notification to iOS users warning them of an incoming missile.
