Though this method will work for future Emergency Alerts, the US test going live today will be exempt from it, according to FEMA. If you don't wish for your phone to make a sound, turn it off entirely during the whole test, which will last 30 minutes. Below is our original report.
For iPhone users in the United States, an Emergency Alert test will be going live today at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time but there may be some security concerns you aren’t aware of. Just popping your iPhone on silent mode won’t stop the alert from blaring as they are designed to work regardless of how your phone is normally set up.
Emergency Alerts are a way of informing millions of people in advance about an oncoming disaster such as weather information, imminent threats, AMBER alerts, and local incident information targeted to specific areas. Given most people use a phone of some kind, it’s a very effective communication system.
As you might imagine, turning off your iPhone entirely or putting it into airplane mode will stop the Emergency Alert test from pinging on your phone but this also stops your iPhone from functioning as it should — something that may be a concern to those who need a second phone.
Though you should try to avoid turning off Emergency Alerts where you can, there are plenty of good reasons people might not want to be pinged. In this case, it is quite easy to turn them off.
How to turn off Emergency Alerts
First, make sure your iPhone is on and operational, then unlock it.
- From your home screen, go into Settings
- Scroll down to Notifications
- Go all the way to the bottom of the page where you will see an Emergency Alerts sections
- Turn off Extreme Alerts and/or Severe Alerts
Why someone might not want Emergency Alerts
If you or someone you know is in a bad home environment, they might have a second phone to make plans without a partner checking through their phone. In this case, that Emergency Alert could give away its position.
Those who suffer from anxiety or become overstimulated quite quickly might dislike the rather loud ping of the Emergency Alert too. Emergency Alerts tend to go on for about ten seconds and blare at a high volume, which can be quite distressing in any environment. Today's test will be operational for 30 minutes but you can turn it off manually once it starts.
These alerts are an incredible tool allowing governments to get out information quickly but they’re also a security concern for those not in the know. This is especially important as today’s Emergency Alert is a test to make sure devices are working — not a real Emergency. Hopefully, those who need a second phone can keep it hidden today.
