With the UK’s Emergency Alerts System undergoing its next major test in September, the Mirror breaks down everything you need to know about what will happen
Millions of mobile phones across the UK will blare a loud siren next weekend, as the government tests its Emergency Alert System (EAS). All 4G and 5G phones and tablets will sound the alarm at the same time, even if they are on silent, with a text message displayed on-screen explaining what is going on, in what will be the second major test of the system.
The last time a test like this happened was back in 2023, and the EAS has been used a few times since then in localised areas to warn residents of emergencies.
The upcoming test will happen at exactly 3 pm on Sunday, 7 September, and will see an estimated 87 million mobiles across the country ring out with a piercing siren for up to 10 seconds.
The Mirror explains everything you need to know about the emergency alert.
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What is the emergency alert for?
The EAS has been likened to the “fire alarm in your house” by Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who explained, “it is always on standby should we need to act.”
It has been used a handful of times since the first test of the system back in 2023 to warn people of sudden dangers in their area.
In December 2024, 3.5 million Brits were warned about Storm Darragh as it hit the South West and Wales, and the following month, in January 2025, more extreme weather saw another localised emergency notification go out to 4.5 million people living in Scotland and Northern Ireland about the dangers of Storm Eowyn.
From fires in your area, extreme weather, or flooding, to other dangers – the system is a way of the government contacting citizens about emergencies in their area.
Your location services do not need to be on, per the government website, for your device to receive an emergency notification, and the government does not have to have your phone number for the system to work.
When an unexploded World War Two bomb was discovered in Plymouth last year, everyone in the area got an emergency alert about what was going on – they didn’t need to be a resident or work nearby, because the system works based on people’s current location.
Why is the emergency alert test happening?
The test is happening primarily to make sure the system is operating correctly and to make sure as many devices as possible are receiving the emergency alerts.
“On Sunday, September 7, we will hold a UK-wide test of the Emergency Alerts system to ensure it works when we need it most,” explained McFadden.
“It is a vital tool for keeping the nation safe when lives are on the line – and every minute matters. During Storm Darragh and Storm Eowyn, as millions faced dangerous extreme weather, I saw first-hand how effective it was at getting life-saving advice to at-risk communities in an instant.”
Whilst the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster added, “We do not use the system often,” it’s important that the government knows it will be effective in the case of an extreme emergency.
This test, in particular, is part of the government’s preparedness exercise over the coming months to make sure they have plans in place to deal with any emergencies, like future pandemics.
What will the test alert text message say?
The full wording of the emergency message test was released last week: “This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby,” will appear on your screen. “You do not need to take any action. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.
“Find simple and effective advice on how to prepare for emergencies at gov.uk/prepare.”
In a real emergency, if you receive an alert through the system, you will be given details of what to do and where to find help depending on the danger you are being notified about.
During the test itself, all you need to do is swipe the message you receive away.
How to opt out of the alert
You can opt out of receiving the emergency alert in your device’s settings.
This is particularly important for victims of domestic abuse, who have been urged to take action ahead of the test next weekend if they have a phone or device they keep secret.
The head of policy for Women’s Aid said at the time of the first test in 2023, “For many survivors, a second phone which the perpetrator does not know about is an important form of communication with friends or family – as some abusers confiscate or monitor and control their partner’s phone.
“It may also be their only lifeline in emergencies. The emergency alerts pose a risk, not only because an abuser could discover a survivors’ second phone, but also because they could use this as a reason to escalate abuse,” adding that anyone worried about this should follow the steps to disable the alert in their phone settings.
If you have an Android or iPhone device, you can opt out by opening up your settings and first searching ’emergency alerts’ – then turning off the warnings. In some other kinds of devices, this option can be found in message settings, sound settings, or general settings.
The alerts might be listed as any of the following, depending on your device, so you should turn all that appear on your phone off if you’re trying to opt out.
- severe threats
- extreme threats
- show amber alerts
- severe alerts
- emergency alerts
- wireless emergency alerts
- emergency broadcasts
- test alerts
Does the alert sound when your phone is off?
Even if your phone is on silent, the siren will sound and the test message will appear on your screen. However, if your phone is turned off at the time of the test, it won’t make the piercing siren sound, and you won’t receive the message.
If you want to avoid getting the alert, without going into your phone’s settings as described above to opt out altogether, then this is a speedy way to ensure you won’t be subjected to the test siren on Sunday, 7 September.
How deaf, blind, and hard-of-hearing people will receive the alert
To make sure that everyone is aware of the upcoming test, the government has launched an extensive campaign explaining what is going on, including a video in British Sign Language.
If you, or someone you know, is deaf, blind, or hard-of-hearing, you can help ensure that everyone gets alerted by the EAS by turning on accessibility notifications on the relevant device.
This will mean that the device will use other ways to signal what is going on, for instance, the camera flash lighting up, or vibrating notifications.
What drivers need to know about the emergency test
If you are driving at 3pm on Sunday, 7 September, when the test happens, make sure to leave your phone where it is and concentrate on the road.
In the case of a real emergency alert occurring whilst you are behind the wheel, the government instructs drivers to wait until they find somewhere “safe and legal” to stop the car before looking at the message if they are by themselves in the vehicle.
Another option they advise is to turn on the car’s radio and listen to the news, which will provide information about the emergency, without distracting you from paying attention to the task at hand.