Following this afternoon’s early warning system, a Chester man has blasted the test as an ‘absolute farce’, claiming he didn’t get an alert despite having everything set up
Today’s nationwide test of an early warning system has been blasted as an “absolute farce of a system” by one phone user, who claims that, despite having a Samsung S24 with the latest Android update, plus a consistent 5G signal, he did not receive an alert.
Speaking with the Mirror after today’s 3 pm test, Damian Myzylowskyj claimed: “I have my phone setup to receive the emergency notification but neither have happened.”
According to Damian, who is today celebrating his 40th birthday, both his son and partner are “in the same boat” as himself in terms of missing the alert, which should have emitted a loud siren-like sound from their devices, accompanied by an explanatory message.
This national test, the second of its kind, is a practice run for occasions when Brits may need to be warned of potentially life-threatening disasters such as extreme weather events or terrorist attacks.
READ MORE: Emergency alert LIVE as warning sent to almost all mobile phones
Damian, from Chester, told us: “I think it’s a bit of a disgrace that if there is something major happening that affects the population, everyone is not being informed. I have the most up-to-date software on my phone, and to miss out is poor from the government.”
Unfortunately, Damian isn’t the only individual to have reported issues with receiving the alert. Taking to social media, some expressed concerns that their alert was late, while others alleged that they didn’t hear anything at all.
One individual wrote: “The government telling us the emergency alert would go off at 3:00pm but it actually went off at 3:01pm”, to which another replied, “The emergency alert looms.”
A third individual complained, “Did anyone else not get the emergency test alert? No message, no noise, nothing.”
Prior to the test, the Government stated that alerts would be sent to “all compatible 4G and 5G mobile phones and compatible tablets across the UK”.
Approximately 95 per cent of the nation will have had the 4G or 5G access needed for today’s test, while those with older phone models, connected to just 2G or 3G, or WiFi only, won’t have received a message.
Phone users also won’t have been alerted if their device was switched off or in aeroplane mode at the time. Meanwhile, as domestic abuse survivors with secret phones were previously warned, having a device on silent wouldn’t have made a difference,
Mobile network operators have now confirmed that the test ran as expected, with tens of millions of mobile phone users across the UK successfully receiving an alert, in what was the second-ever national test of the system.
Going forward, the Cabinet Office will analyse the test alongside mobile network operators, as part of regular system maintenance to ensure everything is working as it should.
Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, has issued the following statement: “Thank you for taking part in today’s test, which saw tens of millions of phones successfully receive the message across the country.
“The test took just seconds, but will help the government keep the country safe 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The next time you hear the siren, it may be a real emergency, so remember to stay calm and follow the advice in the Emergency Alert.”
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