At about 3pm this afternoon, people across the UK were sent their first emergency alert as the UK Government tests its new alarm system.
Millions of phones gave off an extremely loud siren sound, even if the phone was on silent, for 10 seconds. Coming a minute earlier than planned, the alert gave many people a fright - but some were left baffled when they didn't get it at all.
It's possible to turn the alerts off and there are some people who won't get them, but many who were expected to be a part of the trial were left without, reports the Mirror.
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Many took to Twitter to voice their bewilderment. One wrote: "My phone didn't receive the emergency siren. Neither did my partners. So we'd be screwed in an emergency then."
Another wrote: "Am I the only person who didn't receive this #emergencyalert? Just heard lots of my neighbours' going off."
A third commented: "I didn’t receive the #emergencyalert at 3pm. Can anyone tell me if the world has ended? And also why I didn’t receive the alert?!"
Many others feared they were the only ones not to get it, while others joked that it meant they were "identified as disposable".
Thankfully, there is a less frightening reason as to why you might not have gotten the alert that has made so many people jump this afternoon.
According to the gov.uk website, emergency alerts "work on all 4G and 5G phone networks in the UK", and users won't need to connect to mobile data or WiFi in order for it to come through.
However, you won't get an alert if your phone is on airplane mode, or if it's connected to either a 2G or 3G network. You also won't get an alert if your device is WiFi only.
In future, a similarly loud notification and message will be sent to those the UK Government is seeking to reach.
Once established, the system is intended to be used in life-threatening situations including flooding and wildfires.
Speaking before the test, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden conceded the drill could be “annoying” but that it had the potential to save people’s lives once rolled out.
He told Sky News that the trial run was a “bit like when the fire alarm goes off at work”.
“It’s a bit irritating at the time but in the future people could be grateful for it because in a real emergency, this could be the sound that saves your life."
Today's message read: "This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there's a life-threatening emergency nearby.
"In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.
"Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information.
"This is a test. You do not need to take any action."
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