UK Broadcasts ‘Armageddon Alert’ to all Phones on April 23 – Here’s what it Will Say and Sound Like

Since 2020, the UK government has been working on an Emergency Alert System to warn residents of any life-threatening dangers and offer instructions on safeguarding themselves. After various small-scale tests of the alert, the government is now set to test the alarm, dubbed the “Armageddon Alert”, nationally on Sunday, April 23rd at 3 pm.

They’ve actually called it The Armageddon Alert System!! How to opt out of the emergency warning test next Sunday
https://t.co/6fQ9jSUg49 pic.twitter.com/YUMTWVLgsT

— LibertyLins (@LibertyLins22) April 16, 2023

The trail will send a message to millions of phones in the UK territory, along with a loud alarm that is anticipated to last 10 seconds. The alarm would cause a loud siren sound and vibration even if the phone was set to silent.

At 3pm next Sunday we’ll be doing a nationwide test of our new Emergency Alerts system. Getting this system operational means we have a vital tool to keep the public safe in life-threatening emergencies,” announced the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden, adding that “It could be the sound that saves your life.

What will the Armageddon Alert say?

The message on the Armageddon Alert will say,” This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe. Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information. This is a test. You do not need to take any action.”

The government does not rely on phone numbers to send out the alert since the warnings are broadcast from phone masts and are automatically picked up by devices within range hence all 4G and 5G mobile phones will receive the alert.

According to a post by the UK government, the real alert, which will only be sent by the emergency services, government departments, agencies, and public bodies that deal with emergencies, is meant to notify and warn residents of severe flooding, fires, and extreme weather.

Once the alarm has sounded, phone owners are not expected to take any action other than swipe the message away or click “OK” to keep using their phones. However, drivers and motorcycle riders are warned not to react to the alert in any way until they have stopped the vehicle and are in a safe place to dismiss the alert. The government warned, “It is illegal to use a hand-held device while driving or riding.”

Despite the government’s efforts to discourage phone users from opting out of the Armageddon Alert , phone users are at liberty to if they so wish. Residents who prefer to be alerted only during real and severe emergencies and not be bothered by the trial can turn off some of the notifications through their phone settings or choose to turn off their devices on that day.

Additionally, the alert will not sound if the device is put on airplane mode. However, residents will not be able to opt out of important once the alert system is operational and an alert for a life-threatening emergency is triggered.

The warning states, “You can opt out of some emergency alerts, but not the most important ones. You cannot opt out by subject, only by how serious the emergency is. If you opt out because you do not want flood warnings, for example, you might miss alerts for fires and terrorism. Because of this, you should keep emergency alerts switched on for your own safety.”

Life-saving or life-endangering

According to domestic abuse activists, the Armageddon Alert may reveal victims’ hidden devices to their abusers thus further endangering their lives. Seeing as the hidden phones are lifelines to the abused, the National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV) warned victims to turn their phones off temporarily until the trial is through.

The trial, which happens to be scheduled for St. George’s Day, falls on the same day as important occasions like the London Marathon and the Premier League games between Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth and West Ham that begin off at 2 p.m.

In order to prevent panic and minimize the impact of the test, officials said they have coordinated with the Football Association and the Marathon’s organizers to better handle the situation.

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