People on social media have shared their thoughts on why they think some did not receive a notification during the emergency alert test that took place on Sunday. The first test of the UK's new armageddon-style emergency alert was carried out on Sunday, April 23.
At just before 3pm, everyone with a compatible smartphone received a test alert, which is intended to warn the public about life-threatening situations including flooding and wildfires. People saw a message flash up on their phone as a notification, accompanied by a siren sound and a vibration.
The message read: "This is a test if Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe. Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information. This is a test. You do not need to take any action."
Read more: Welsh language blunder on emergency test alert sent out by UK Government
People in Wales also received the test in Welsh, but unfortunately included a Welsh language blunder in the message, which you can read more about here.
According to Birmingham Live, the reason some 4G and 5G phones failed to receive the emergency alert test today has seemingly been revealed. Unconfirmed reports on social media suggest the alert failed to be sent to some Three phones due to an issue with the network. Smaller providers that also use Three's network were also affected.
Some on social media complained they hadn't received the loud siren at all - and were now worried for a real future scenario. Andrew Page said: "All the androids that failed to sound were on @ThreeUK so I wonder was it a phone issue or a mobile network issue".
Alex Lo said: "I'm on Three and didn't get it." Tony wrote: "Didn't get emergency alert and I'm on three." Amanda said: "I didn't receive it either I'm with ID mobile which I think uses the 3 network ". However, Birmingham Live reported that other reasons could be down to an individual's phone or device didn't have 4G or 5G signal.
Ahead of the alert, newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said no action was needed, but that in the future it might be the "sound that could save your life". Mr Dowden - who held on to his role as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster after being promoted on Friday to Deputy Prime Minister following Dominic Raab's resignation after a report into bullying accusations - said: "Keep calm and carry on."
Meanwhile, consumer group Which? issued a warning saying scammers could use text messages to try and trick people into parting with their cash. It said: "Today at 3pm, the government will be doing a nationwide test of its new Emergency Alerts system. Events like this can be a magnet for scammers looking to take advantage of the confusion. Anything that asks you to take action from the alert is a scam."
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