Emergency Alerts is a UK Government service that will warn you if there is a danger to life nearby. In an emergency, your mobile phone or tablet will receive an alert with advice about how to stay safe only where there is a risk to life, either locally or nationally. This could include public health emergencies, severe floods, fires, and industrial incidents.
The service will be sending out a test alert on Sunday 23 April. The test alert will be sent to all compatible phones in the UK. It will clearly indicate that no action is required and that this is a test of the system.
How to turn off government emergency alerts if you are a victim of domestic abuse and you have a secret safety phone
While the alerts are designed to warn of a danger to life nearby, they could also create a risk to people experiencing domestic abuse, who for their safety have a secret or secondary mobile phone.
Alerts will play a sound even if the phone is on silent and the device will not be useable until the notification is acknowledged.
Due to the potential risks, domestic violence charity Refuge has shared a video with instructions on how to turn off the emergency alerts on both Androids and iPhones.