UK: Mobile users will receive an emergency alert test on April 23

Phone users will not be able to use other features on their devices unless they acknowledge the alert, which is set to be sent on Sunday April 23.

The system – modeled on similar systems in the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan – is intended to be used in life-threatening situations such as floods and wildfires.

The alerts will appear on users’ phones’ home screens, accompanied by a loud warning tone and vibration.

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The program will initially focus on the most severe weather-related events, with the ability to send an emergency message to 90% of mobile users within the relevant area.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Dowden, said: “We are strengthening our national resilience with a new emergency alert system to deal with a wide range of threats – from floods to wildfires.

“It will revolutionize our ability to warn and inform people who are in imminent danger and help us protect people.

“As we’ve seen in the US and elsewhere, a phone’s buzz can save lives.”

What does the warning look like and how does it sound? 🚨

Emergency alerts appear on your device’s home screen, and you hear a loud siren-like tone and feel a vibration for up to 10 seconds.

Watch the video below 📽️👇 pic.twitter.com/U0ZvNr31yt

— Cabinet Office (@cabinetofficeuk) March 19, 2023

People who don’t want to receive the notifications can opt out in their device settings, but officials are hoping the messages’ life-saving potential means users keep them on.

The alerts will only ever come from the government or emergency services, and they will provide details of the affected area and instructions on how best to respond.

The Cabinet Office said the alerts were safe, free to receive and one-way, and insisted they would not reveal anyone’s location or collect personal information.

The service has already been tested in East Suffolk and Reading.

The system could eventually be expanded to cover terrorist incidents, but officials conceded much more information on how the UK’s alert system works would be needed before it could be done in response to a fast-moving attack.