iOS 17.2: How to Improve the Reliability of Emergency Alerts

In iOS 17.2, Apple has improved the reliability of emergency alerts on iPhone. Keep reading to understand what's changed.

Apple has designed its mobile operating system so that you can receive emergency, government, and public safety alerts on your iPhone. In the event of an emergency, depending on your location, your iPhone can display the following:

• Alerts issued by your country or region's government
• Alerts involving imminent threats to safety or life
• Alerts for extreme weather conditions
• AMBER alerts (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response)
• Public Safety Alerts

Government alerts are turned on by default on iPhones. Such alerts are accompanied by a special sound that is similar to an alarm. In some countries, users cannot disable government alerts. Elsewhere, the menu or the toggles for these alerts can be found at the bottom of Settings ➝ Notifications.

In iOS 17.2, Apple added a new Local Awareness option for Emergency Alerts. Apple says that enabling Local Awareness uses your approximate location to improve the timeliness, accuracy, and reliability of emergency alerts. If the option is supported in your region or territory, you can find the toggle for Local Awareness in Settings ➝ Notifications ➝ Emergency Alerts.

Whether it's severe weather warnings, Amber alerts, or other vital notifications, this setting should increase the probability that important alerts are not missed due to technical issues.