Emergency Alerts is a public information service that has been developed to alert the public about emergencies, both nationwide and in local areas. The alerts will be sent to our members in the form of a notification, with details about the emergency and the actions members need to take to stay safe.

Here are some examples of things you may receive an alert about:

Emergency Alerts look and sound very different to other types of messages such as SMS text messages. They appear as a notification and will include a link to gov.uk/alerts, where you’ll also be able to check that an alert is genuine. You’ll know if you get an Emergency Alert because you’ll hear a loud, siren-like sound and your phone will use a distinct vibration. You also have to acknowledge them before you can continue to use your phone’s other features.

If you receive an alert but are still in doubt about the origins of the message, go to gov.uk/alerts or contact neighbours, friends or family in the nearby area to check whether they have received it too.

Emergency Alerts are text-based messages broadcasted from cell towers using 4G and 5G networks in the event of an emergency.

The alerts are secure, free to receive, and one-way. They do not reveal your location and do not collect any personal data.

A Emergency Alert is likely to include a link to gov.uk/alerts where further information is contained, and/or a helpline. You cannot reply to the notification and we will never ask for any of your personal information.

Depending on your device you may need to upgrade to the latest software to ensure your device can receive the Alerts. You can learn more about how to do this here.

You’ll also need to make sure your device is not in airplane mode, turned off or out of battery and will need to have 4G or 5G service to receive an alert. Since this is a free service, you don’t need to have credit to make use of it.

The Emergency Alert initiative is led by the government along with the emergency services and executed by their mobile network. This means that we don’t share any member data in the process.

Yes. Emergency Alerts will be available in all of the four nations.

For more information about Emergency Alerts, including what happens when you get an alert, reasons you might receive one and how it works, visit gov.uk/alerts.