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Millions of phones across the UK played a siren and vibrated on Sunday afternoon as the government carried out a nationwide test of its emergency alert system.
The alarm, which sounded at 3pm, lasted for 10 seconds and was accompanied by a message on screen making clear it was only a test.
“This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby,” the message read. “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. Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information or to view this message in Welsh. Ewch i gov.uk/alerts am ragor o wybodaeth neu i weld y neges hon yn y Gymraeg.”
The piercing alarm was designed to override normal volume settings so it could be heard even in noisy environments. The alert system is intended for use in situations where lives are at immediate risk, such as during extreme weather events, terrorist attacks and other major emergencies.
Millions of devices sounded, but the alert not activate universally. Older models, phones not connected to 4G or 5G networks and those switched off or set to flight mode were excluded.
People could also opt out of receiving emergency alerts. The government stressed that this may be particularly important for domestic abuse survivors who keep a concealed phone.
The government said testing “ensures the system continues to work correctly and reaches as many people as possible when it’s needed most”. There are about 87m mobile phones in the UK, but no figure has been given for how many received Sunday’s message.
Ministers say such drills are vital. The work and pensions secretary, Pat McFadden, called the alerts a “national fire alarm” that required regular testing. The timing on Sunday also forced adjustments across sport, with kick-offs in football and rugby delayed and England’s cricket match at the Utilita Bowl briefly paused.
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The drill was the latest step in rolling out the technology. The system was first tested nationwide in April 2023, but some networks failed to deliver it. Since then it has been used five times in real emergencies, including the evacuation of homes in Plymouth after a wartime bomb was discovered in a back garden in February 2024.
Emergency alerts were also sent to about 3 million people in Wales and south-west England in December 2024 after a weather warning issued for Storm Darragh. Similar alerts went out to 4.5 million people during Storm Éowyn in January 2025.
