For many victim-survivors, a concealed phone is a lifeline – it can be used as a tool when planning to leave their abusive partner, or way to speak to family or friends without their perpetrator knowing.
The planned emergency alert system means all mobile phone or tablets will vibrate and make a loud siren-like sound on Sunday 7th September at 3pm, even if they are on silent. This could put domestic abuse victim-survivors at risk if they have a hidden phone. Please see instructions below to opt out of the alert:
For more information, visit: https://www.gov.uk/alerts
Opting out of emergency alerts
Emergency alerts contain life-saving information and should be kept switched on for your own safety.
You can opt out of emergency alerts. For example, victims of domestic abuse with a concealed phone may find it appropriate to turn off alerts.
How you opt out depends on your device, if you still get alerts after opting out, contact your device manufacturer for help.
There’s a different way to opt out of operator test alerts.
iPhone
To opt out:
- Go to your settings and select the ‘notifications’ menu.
- Scroll to the bottom.
- Turn off ‘severe alerts’ and ‘extreme alerts’.
Android phones
To opt out:
- Search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’.
- Turn off ‘severe alerts’ and ‘extreme alerts’.
Other mobile phones and tablets
Depending on the manufacturer and software version of your phone, emergency alerts settings may be called different names, such as ‘wireless emergency alerts’ or ‘emergency broadcasts’.
The settings can usually be found in one of the following ways. Go to:
- ‘message’, then ‘message settings, then ‘wireless emergency alerts’, then ‘alert’
- ‘settings’, then ‘sounds’, then ‘advanced’, then ‘emergency broadcasts’
- ‘settings’, then ‘general settings’, then ‘emergency alerts’
Then turn off ‘severe alerts’, ‘extreme alerts’ and ‘test alerts’.