So THAT's Why Some Phones Didn't Get An Emergency Alert Yesterday

The government tested “emergency alerts” on millions of phones across the UK yesterday (September 7).The sound, which rang out at 3pm, was the second-ever trial of the government programme. Some people will have manually opted out of the alerts – Isabelle Younane, head of external affairs at Women’s Aid, previously told HuffPost UK that “an emergency alert could risk an abuser discovering the phone and cutting off a vital lifeline, putting lives in danger”. This is a risk the government was also aware of; so it shared how to opt out of emergency alerts for both iPhone and Android phones.But if you didn’t opt out of the alerts and noticed your phone did not ring yesterday, you might be wondering why.Why didn’t my phone sound during yesterday’s emergency alert? Amrit Chatha, an expert at Mobiles.co.uk, said: “On the 7th September, most mobile phone users will have received the government’s second emergency alert, with their device emitting a loud noise, a vibration and a text message. “However, as was the case with the first test, not everyone will have received it, and there are a few possible reasons why this might have happened.” One reason, Chatha revealed, is that your phone might not be connected to a 4G or 5G network. Calling this the “most common factor” for missing an alert, the pro explained: “If your device only supports 2G or 3G connections, or only connects to the internet through WiFi, then it might not be compatible with the emergency alert system.”Alternatively, phones in aeroplane mode or that were switched off might not have received the message. And your settings and updates matter, too: “Other reasons include your device not being loaded with the latest software update, or if the ‘emergency alert’ setting on your phone is set to ‘off.’” Emergency alerts only sounded on iPhones running iOS 14.5 or later and Android phones and tablets running Android 11 or later. How are emergency alerts sent?The government doesn’t need to know your number to send you an emergency alert. Instead, mobile phone masts within a selected area will send out a signal to all compatible phones. You don’t have to be connected to mobile data to receive an emergency alert, and you don’t have to pay to get them either. You just need to be in an affected area with an updated phone that uses 4G or 5G and which is neither turned off nor in aeroplane mode.Related...What Should You Actually Do When There's A Heat Alert?So What If Gen Z Are Getting Phone Call Lessons In School? Most Adults Could Use Them'I Went Through My Daughter's Phone. What I Saw Terrified Me'

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So THAT's Why Some Phones Didn't Get An Emergency Alert Yesterday

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