[Closed] DON’T PANIC!!!

I've switched it off.

Blimey, I thought for a minute Clive Dunn had died.

Oh, wait...

I've left it on out of curiosity.

Only found out about this yesterday. Switched it off. Would’ve given me a panic attack if it had gone off. WW3 is supposed to be next year.

I'll be outside at 3.00 wondering how many I'll hear...

WW3 is supposed to be next year.

Frankly thats naively optimistic

I’ve switched it off.

Only found out about this yesterday. Switched it off. Would’ve given me a panic attack if it had gone off.

It's a text message - thats all - the interaction it requires is for you to click 'ok'. Amazing that such a simple. obvious, easy strategy for creating a safety system that literally requires the beneficiaries to do absolutely nothing is met with anything from resentment to moral panic by anyone. Its something  that most of us (maybe all of us) may never receive again. It's the least possibly intrusive thing I can imagine. In the circumstances where it might get used for anything other than a test.... a text message is the very last thing I'd be bothered about.

If you've gone to the trouble of of switching it off I genuinely astounded that you have so many ****s to give that you can spare one for that.

Remember how THEY put the clocks forward recently and how upsetting that was - well THEY are going to put then back again soon. I've burnt all my clocks to spite them.

met with anything from resentment to moral panic by anyone.

Not at all.

just seems a little pointless in the UK.

We don't have the major weather events that occur at very short notice that warrant it.

Regards terrorism, well if they have knowledge of an imminent event then I'm sure we would hear through the normal channels.

It would have been quite handy when I was trying to get to a bit of London where unknown to me busses were being blown up some years ago.
Although they switched off the mobile network, which caused some concern at home. I’m assuming the warnings would still work.

It’s a text message – thats all

In as much as its a message containing text then yes, but in other ways it's totally different.

- It will sound a unique, LOUD tone that people have never heard before

-it will override silent and dnd modes on your phone

-it will overwrite anything on your phone screen and your phone will not be usable until you confirm the message.

So no, it's not just a text message and I can see how it could confuse or concern some people.

We don’t have the major weather events that occur at very short notice that warrant it.

Tell that to Edwina Curry

I once read the account of the polciemen who was on duty one night in Canvey Island in 1953 - it was pretty harrowing - people downing in their beds. Plenty  people there  and all along that coast who would have benefitted from being alerted by a loud beep

– It will sound a unique, LOUD tone that people have never heard before

-it will override silent and dnd modes on your phone

-it will overwrite anything on your phone screen and your phone will not be usable until you confirm the message.

OK - put it like that it's absolutely terrifying. LOUD in capitals must mean theres a level of sound output my phone is capable of that has heitherto not been utilised

its a text message with a different beep.

😀 - fair enough

I hope it's another U2 album.

Tell that to Edwina Curry

That was not a sudden event, it developed over many hours, hence why they had time to mobilise a Chinook and the required materials.

Plus it's an absolute gift to 2 sections of the population.

1. Your mum will call you in a panic about the loud noise that her phone has made, despite the fact that she saw t in the Mail only this week, and mentioned it when she called you

2. Conspiracy theorists; they're going absolutely nuts about this, they've not been so happy since the lizards from the moon that we've not been to made that anti-vaxx 5G radar Clinton baby eating mind control thing that Bill Gates wants to see into your mind to make you ignore the twin towers because the earth is flat just in case the Chemtrails don't work like Soros promised they would.

Its not a text though is it.
Its activation of the Apple nanobots that were injected along with the so called covid vaccine.
Obey or you will be exterminated.
I have prepared a bigger tin foil hat, and a Faraday cage in readiness, they're not going to tell me what to do , no sireee.

– It will sound a unique, LOUD tone that people have never heard before

This. I have always had my phones on silent. Always. Both for my own sanity and as a courtesy to others. A random siren going off would've had me running round the house wondering wtf was going on.

And as others have said. What's the point?

I thought it was an atrocious bit of planning not to schedule the test in the middle of the coronation.

These have also been introduced in Germany, we recently got one alerting us to a large WWII bomb that had been uncovered in construction work nearby, not close enough to be an immediate danger but it messed up the areas traffic and public transport so the warning allowed people to plan their journeys home from work to minimise the impact.

And as others have said. What’s the point

It's giving people who are constantly on the lookout for something to moan about, something to moan about. Some folks, if you gave them £100 would moan it's in the wrong denomination notes!

No, we don't typically get weather events like other parts of the world where these types of alerts are literally lifesavers.

Yet

As for "I'd get the alerts through normal channels" - there's little nowadays more ubiquitous than the mobile phone, portable, usually on..... it's the perfect vehicle!

And as others have said. What’s the point?

With 25,000 wildfires in the UK last year - including the well documented fires near/in settlements last summer - the use for evacuating people in those instances is clear.

then I’m sure we would hear through the normal channels

Such as? TV, radio, Facebook...? Plenty of people don't check the news in real-time. Live TV viewers dropped by 14% last year, radio is also possibly on the decline - every full-time BBC channel lost listeners last year, for example. Facebook, Twitter? Nah, not with the way algorithms and verification are applied.
I'm often surprised talking to people of all ages with a lack of awareness about key events in the news - even
those that directly affect them due to employment issues or strikes, for example. People either don't have time, aren't able to justify the cost of a TV Licence and TV package, or just aren't arsed.
Then there's the fact that not everyone in the UK is 'native'; there are huge cultural or individual reasons why people don't follow 'traditional' communication streams.
I'm not saying the alert is a good or bad thing, just that we find things out from a variety of sources at different times, often well after it's relevant.

every full-time BBC channel lost listeners last year

that was after the enforced "subdued" period of mourning for HRHQEII

the only potential uses in the UK, from quotes above are
terrorism/WW3
traffic management
localised wildfire evacuations

What a non event to get in a lather over. Your phone is going to make an odd noise until you click 'OK'. Whoopdy doo!

Gob smacked that this registers high on any functioning adult's 'give a shit about' list.

And call me cynical but you just know it's the thin end of the wedge. The right to use it will get sold, given or leaked to any clipboard-weilding bureaucrat who wants power to lord it over people. Or used to summon people to the town square to observe the latest grand scheme of wokery.  Insurance companies saying "well we sent the 'rain imminent' siren yesterday so we're not paying out for your crash as it was irresponsible to drive your car with rain forecast. Bailiffs and TV Licence inspectors using it to ping people's phones to see if they're hiding behind the sofa. Jobseekers getting a six AM siren to get out of bed...

And that's assuming Labour get in next time. This incompetent lot will probably just forget to issue it anyway.

*lighthearted post in the name of levity. Please don't get angry, it's Sunday 🙂

This comment

Regards terrorism, well if they have knowledge of an imminent event then I’m sure we would hear through the normal channels.

he only potential uses in the UK, from quotes above are
terrorism/WW3
traffic management
localised wildfire evacuations

The flood alerts that show up on my Alexa are quite useful, they could be used for that. Will utilities have access too? Pinging a region accurately telling them about an unplanned outage + planned restoration time would save a lot of calls to a call centre.

See them quite a bit when in Florida for the hurricanes. It seems to work fine. Notice there are two levels on my phone, Extreme and Severe.

Given the clowns in power currently, I see greater scope for misuse or mismanagement rather than anything useful.

But more than that, I'm disappointed this thread isn't about HHGTTG

And most of all. It would interrupt the snooker. So for that reason alone, I'm out.

then I’m sure we would hear through the normal channels

But people like Jamborgie seemingly haven't heard about alert despite it being all over the TV, newspapers, the radio and of course the Internet for months. What else can they do, send everyone a text? Er, oh.

They played an example on the radio the other day. It sounds like a clock radio buzzer from the 1980s.

Will it work on burner phones?

… this could be awkward!

What a non event to get in a lather over. Your phone is going to make an odd noise until you click ‘OK’. Whoopdy doo!

Don’t even need to do that it stops after 10 seconds.

Regards terrorism, well if they have knowledge of an imminent event then I’m sure we would hear through the normal channels.

Yeah catching it on the news when you get home or not as the marauding terrorist that you could have been warned about if only you’d not disabled the alerts.

Will it work on burner phones?

… this could be awkward!

Actually that is (sort of) one of the reasons it's being so heavily notified in advance. If you are suffering coercive control or similar and have a secret phone for safeguarding purposes then this could royally mess things up.

Good job you lot don't live in the Netherlands.....they have a WW2 siren in every town and village that goes off for 2 minutes once a month! Try switching that off.

As I know it’s coming and it’s a test I’ve just turned it off. Once the test is over I’ll turn it back on again so if there’s a real emergency where I am I know about it. Nothing to get annoyed about as it can be avoided.

Good job you lot don’t live in the Netherlands…..they have a WW2 siren in every town and village that goes off for 2 minutes once a month! Try switching that off.

Strange I lived and worked there in the north for 6 months and never heard such a thing.

As for the test. As above as I know it's a test and I don't want my afternoon disrupted for what sounded to me in the demo like a call to the life boats offshore.

I also turned it off.

I also am of the opinion that this government will not tell me about anything I need to know via this till long after I needed to know about it. - not through malice but through general incompetence.

Good job you lot don’t live in the Netherlands…..they have a WW2 siren in every town and village that goes off for 2 minutes once a month! Try switching that off.

I have spent a lot of time in the Netherlands with my work and have never heard a siren once.

Good job you lot don’t live in the Netherlands…..they have a WW2 siren in every town and village that goes off for 2 minutes once a month! Try switching that off.

We have that in Calderdale as well.

Anyway, this phone notification is a good use of near ubiquitous personally carried tech. So obvious we’ll be wondering why the UK didn’t have it before, once we’re used to it. Turn it off if you don’t approve.

We had one while in Corfu a year or two ago.

A storm warning, apparently quite common late in the season (end of September)

Sounded like short blasts of a fog horn along with the text message.

I think they go out to every phone connected to a provider, so "burner" phones will get them too regardless of contract status

Turn it off if you don’t approve.

It's not of approving or not.

I see very little useful functionality of this in the UK.

I see very little useful functionality of this in the UK.

Well one example might be you're heading into manchester for a concert, a bomb goes off at the arena, possible other bombs in the area.... so you can turn around and go somewhere else rather then get caught up in the incident. Would help keep traffic volumes lower in the area too, so better access for emergency services.

I doubt you'll be getting 'last two sausage rolls at your local Greggs' alerts.

I'm guessing this was an action from the pandemic. I remember at the start they tried to get mobile providers to send messages out to all customers, then had a go at using WhatsApp. We've had this capability in the mobile network and phones for 10 years or so, just never implemented it.

Well one example might be you’re heading into manchester for a concert, a bomb goes off at the arena, possible other bombs in the area

Before such a message could be sent out, it would have be confirmed that an incident serious enough to warrant the use of the system. By the time that was done you would of heard about through other means.

I was at a conference in London when the Westminster terrorist attack happened. We knew within minutes of the event.

I don't think this idea is a "bad" thing, it may help some but just can't see where it will make any significant difference in the UK.

Thanks - Silenced mine 😉

I have another Panic today - any advice/1st hand experience welcome!!!
Got a Final Reminder on a parking fine - Parking Eye PCN Again!!
This I appealed, got no reply & now have charge of £170 and threat of Legal action, if the matter is taken to court.
I have 2 receipts for shop & coffee etc. coffee & lunch as I waited for my Bike buddies to catch up at a Service station - staff said I'd be OK if I entered my Reg No & kept receipts etc. Stress!!!!

Any Idea Trackers?

By the time that was done you would of heard about through other means.

Not if your driving down the motorway towards the place.

I'm a bit skeptical too, but a reletivley low cost service, why not? I say. Turn it off if it bothers you.

Had my phone ping one of these alerts while in California, warning of a possible child abduction complete with car description and license plate.

Surely it's worth leaving on to catch a nonce?

Motorway signs have been used to tell people to switch their radios on and to tell drivers not to enter London.
The time delay would be no different.

Phone notification would be helpful to those not in a vehicle or on the motorway yet.

Although not going to London isn’t bad advice in general.

Had my phone ping one of these alerts while in California, warning of a possible child abduction complete with car description and license plate.

Surely it’s worth leaving on to catch a nonce?

Well they would say that wouldn't they. Probably just trying to track their donut delivery.

Maybe it’s only certain provinces but I’ve heard it loads

https://www.government.nl/topics/counterterrorism-and-national-security/question-and-answer/public-warning-sirens

I was at a conference in London when the Westminster terrorist attack happened. We knew within minutes of the event.

By their nature these things vary so you can't Extrapolate from a sample size of one. I was in London for the 7/7 and failed 21/7 bomb attacks. We were watching the news unfolding on TV in the office whilst friends and colleagues, unaware were getting on tubes and buses. We were furiously and mostly unsuccessfully trying to phone them to tell them to keep away from public transport, when it was still unclear if all the perpetrators were accounted for.  This system would have been useful then.  It might be 10 or 20 years until there is a good reason to use it, or it might (hopefully) be never. But for such a simple thing to have have tucked away just in case, why wouldn't you?  Emergency planning is often about considering very low likelihood, but high consequence events. The people moaning about this would probably be the first to ask why it wasn't done and demanding enquiries if it could have saved lives in some unforeseen future event.

I'm failing to understand why people are getting upset when it's easy to turn off, and also failing to understand how people are only just hearing about it - it's been rumbling in the press and social media for a couple of weeks

If phones start going off in people's cars while they are driving down the motorway I suspect there'll soon be more than one major incident to deal with.

Regards terrorism, well if they have knowledge of an imminent event then I’m sure we would hear through the normal channels.

Thats the point though - this can be detailed alert you can direct to everyone in a particular location, all at once, immediately. Don't think in terms of the 1980s and the IRA having a gentlemanly agreement to phone in warnings to the authorities - Imagine how useful an alert like this would have been during the Borough Market attacks for instance - to be able to alert people and direct them to safety with current information in real time.

People saying “what’s the point in the UK?” have obviously never worked in a shop where phones have to be on silent and a company playlist is the the only means of listening to anything. An emergency alert is the first I would know if something happened where I work.

If phones start going off in people’s cars while they are driving down the motorway I suspect there’ll soon be more than one major incident to deal with.

How do you work that out?

How do you work that out?

Whaterbouterry at a guess.

Going off on a tangent but if your phone sounded a specific emergency alarm one would think you'd pull over to check what's going on rather than reading the text whilst driving, and causing a crash..

Or have a passenger check your phone for you,

Or they'd get thier own alert on thier own phone.

Or switch from your billy joels greatest hits CD and put the news on the radio.

It seems that it is easy to dismiss it when it sounds. Certainly easier than going into Settings on your phone. That being the case, I'm intrigued to see if/how it works. I assume that actual alerts can be regionally focussed rather than just national-scale events? I could see it being used in some flooding cases but I do hope it's not controlled by the same folk who do the "weather forecast" for the Daily Mirror 🤣

I assume that actual alerts can be regionally focussed rather than just national-scale events? I could see it being used in some flooding cases but I do hope it’s not controlled by the same folk who do the “weather forecast” for the Daily Mirror

Heheh!

Yes I'd think so, no reason they can't specify certain geo-locations based on cell towers etc?

I assume that actual alerts can be regionally focussed rather than just national-scale events?

Think so. They are broadcast to all devices connected to a mobile cell, so in theory, the most granular it can be is a single mobile tower. Dunno if the system behind the scenes can work at the level, though.

I thought the most critical alerts couldn't be turned off. Presidential alerts in the US. Guess we'll find out in a min.

Yes I’d think so, no reason they can’t specify certain geo-locations based on cell towers etc?

Interview I heard yesterday it was specific to phones linked to a mast?

well, that was unpleasant

Well that was exciting

Worked rather well, I enjoyed that. Was just getting off my bike.

Oh god I take it all back that was horrific.

I hope the voice can be changed

I have to admit it made me jump ....

Worked well! Still made me jump even though I'd read the thread 👍

Is that it?

<Waits for 5G body upgrade to kick in>

If phones start going off in people’s cars while they are driving down the motorway I suspect there’ll soon be more than one major incident to deal with.

Only one in three phones went off here. Anyone else not get it?

Not had it yet.

Nobody in our house has, the signal is pretty poor here TBF

Eldest is facetiming someone about 3 miles away who has.

Clearly ours is the neighborhood that gets sacrificed in the apocalypse...

Only the chosen people will survive the coming apocalypse. If your phone didn't go off, there must be a reason.

Mine has sat silently on charge.

So, doesn't work if you're on WiFi calling then? None of the 3 phones here went off. Smarty, Three and O2.

After switching it off on two phones, one of them still did the alert.

Why the America voice?

That was dramatic!

Seems to be a bit of a lag between phone networks - I'm on O2 and mine went off first, colleagues on Vodafone got theirs a minute or so later.

Well I don't know what the alert said because I got rid before I actually read it.

Wife with the same phone but on smarty didn't go off and her setting should allow it.

Yep neither of my girls iPhones went off but my wife’s did and so did her work phone. Mine was switched off.

They hadnt touched any settings

Jeez, I've never been even slightly tempted to call anyone a 'snowflake' before, but some of you are testing me to the limit! How do you cope outside the front door? ❄️ 😂

Maybe they're staggering areas?