U.S. iPhone Users to Receive Emergency Test Alert Today

The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are conducting a test of the U.S. emergency alert systems on Wednesday, October 4. Emergency text messages will be set out to cell phones across the United States.

The Wireless Emergency Alert test will begin at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time/11:20 a.m. Pacific Time today, and iPhone owners can expect to receive a text message in English or Spanish, depending on the language settings of the device. In addition to smartphones, test messages will also be sent to televisions and radios.

Test messages going to smartphones will make it clear that the alert is a test, with the following text: "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. The purpose is to maintain and improve alert and warning capabilities at the federal, state, local, tribal and territorial levels and to evaluate the nation’s public alert and warning capabilities. No action is required by the public." An "alert tone" will be played when the notification is initially received.

Wireless Emergency Alerts are used in the United States to allow federal, state, and local agencies to send out short emergency messages from cell towers in a targeted area. They are designed to warn of an impending natural or human-made disaster, though the system is also used for child abductions and public safety alerts.

AMBER Alerts, Emergency Alerts, Public Safety Alerts, and Test Alerts can all be enabled or disabled on an ‌iPhone‌ by going to the Notifications section of the Settings app and scrolling all the way down to Government Alerts. Turning off the toggles typically prevents alerts from being received, but it is worth noting that with today's test, there is no way to disable it.