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A nationwide test of the UK’s emergency alert service will take place at 3pm on Sunday 23 April. The alerts will warn you if there’s a danger to life nearby, such as flooding or fires.
However, we are concerned about the potential safety risks to survivors who may be keeping their phones hidden from an abuser, as the alert is a loud, siren-like sound with a screen message and vibration.
Survivors can opt out from receiving emergency alerts to avoid their device being detected.
How to opt out
For iPhone
To opt out, search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’ and turn off ‘Severe alerts’ and ‘Emergency alerts.’ If this does not work, contact your device manufacturer.
For Android
To opt out, search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’ and turn off ‘Severe alerts’ and ‘Emergency alerts’. On some devices, search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’ and turn off ‘Extreme threats’, ‘Severe threats’ and ‘Show amber alerts’.
Refuge’s tech team have put together information for survivors with an iPhone or Android on how to opt-out of the system. You can also find out more at gov.uk/alerts and on the Q&A document.
For more information, visit our page on emergency alerts.
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This isn’t the way it works for non-smart phones, and presumably this will still happen to them, basically any phone that has a number will receive this siren noise. This is far wider reaching than those in DA still with their abuser. Its also probably unbearable for any with PTSD, and any with autism, including children and adults.
I don’t think anything exists on a non-smart phone for those settings, so they cannot be deactivated directly on the phone, and some can’t get online.
The govt need to stop this reliance upon tech that many cannot use.
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Hi Cedarlemon
I’m going to say that yes, it will still happen even if phone turned off. The only way a phone can be deactivated fully shutting it down is to remove the battery, but the kindly controlling phone companies have removed all controls over the phone this way by integrating the battery in a way that cannot easily be accessed anymore. It used to be easy to just slip the battery out, just to go travelling so the abuser couldn’t track you even if there was a tracker on your phone, but now even that option has gone.
The sad thing is these things involving tech always exclude the most vulnerable in society, and as we have seen through the pandemic, and from the stats around poverty, etc. that women and children in the vast majority of cases.
There will no longer be a safe way for a child to take a mobile with them hidden inside clothing/bags so they have a means of calling their mum for help, which is a system we have used and I’ve had to go rescue children as a result of a call from a child being (detail removed by Moderator)! The last you want is for an abusive father to realise that the child has a phone for emergency use, not whilst alone with that child on contact visits!
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Hi Both,
Your concerns are understandable and thank you for raising them here. These emergency alerts are being brought in in addition to the warning systems that are already in place.
The government guidance on the emergency alerts states that the alerts work on iPhones running iOS 14.5 or later and Android phones and tablets running Android 11 or later (the alert may still be received on earlier versions of Android. To check, search your device settings for ‘emergency alerts’). The same guidance also states that you won’t receive alerts if your phone is turned off or in airplane mode.
There’s more information on our page on emergency alerts and in our ‘Emergency Alerts Q&A’ document.
I hope this helps,
Lisa -
Hi Lisa/ts
Thank you for this information. I hope this helps the women/children that have concealed phones. It actually makes me shudder as to me it’s a breach of many womens security. TS- I agree with you this sort of thing always affects the most vulnerable members of society. Thank you both once again .
Best wishes
Cedarlemon
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Thank you both also.
I just wish that phone providers did allow users to have some default controls so that nothing can call without your approval; that consent is required to access anything by others, but that isn’t the nature of the beast is it.
Thank you for confirming that any phone that is off will not ‘alert’.
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No, its going to create a massive problem, and the most vulnerable in society are forgotten!
Its a shame isn’t it. Isn’t it lucky for them that they didn’t even consider the rest of the population for a minute.
Its also lovely to hear the govt comment on how if you deactivate these alerts you risk missing a safety warning! That sounds like some kind of threat so you better all make sure everyone has a receiving device or you will be putting yourself at risk! Well its just too bad for some then heh?
I do think that the message about the impact on those in DA is out there loud now though, I have heard via a couple of different sources now, the discussion is being had and there are directions to deactivate and that its not being sent via any held numbers but simply sent out across the network so any receiving device will get it, so long as its switched on 4G+ and not got airplane mode active.
I hope everyone stays safe, and the message is now spreading wide and loud.
ts
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