There are a number of false claims circulating online with regard to the test alert, including some conspiracy theories that incorrectly allege the sound emitted as part of the national test can impact your body at the cellular level. This message, which ran for approximately one minute, stated: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. Meanwhile, all radios and televisions also broadcast a test emergency alert at the same time as part of the broader test. During this time, all compatible wireless phones that were switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless providers participates in WEA tests should have received the text message.Īlthough the test will be transmitting for approximately 30 minutes, you should only have received the alert message once. The test was broadcast by cell towers for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 2:20 pm ET, FEMA said. The text was accompanied by a unique tone and vibration that is meant to make the alert accessible to the entire public, including people with disabilities, FEMA has said. The free text message was sent in either English or Spanish, depending on the language settings of your device. The test is also using broadcast technology and does not collect any of your data.Īll cell phones should have received an alert and an accompanying text message that reads: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System.

The national test cannot be used to monitor, locate or lock your phone, FEMA has said. On the call with reporters, the senior FEMA official recommended that educators, as much as possible, try to use this as a teaching opportunity about federal emergency management and preparedness initiatives.

If you wanted to be cautious, you could also wait until you are in a safe place before turning your phone back on.Įducators are braced themselves for some disruption this afternoon, as the test impacting cell phones occurred during school hours for most of the country. The official recommended that people who do not want a secret phone to be revealed to turn their phone completely off ahead of the 2:20 pm ET test - and not to turn it back on for thirty minutes, or until after 2:50 pm ET. On a call with reporters Tuesday, a senior FEMA official said the agency was aware of these concerns stemming from survivors of domestic violence and their allies. Survivors of domestic violence and people in abusive relationships often have a secret or emergency phone that they don’t want their partner or others to know about. What if I have a phone that I am trying to keep secret? If your phone is turned off, has airplane mode switched on, or is not connected or associated with a cell tower, then it did not receive the message. There are, however, three conditions which would prevent the cell phone alert from getting delivered to a device. That means if your mobile phone was on and receiving service from a participating wireless provider, you will likely received the national Wireless Emergency Alert test, the agency added. While some recent models of mobile phones may include a setting to opt-out of tests and alerts, none of these settings will affect the 2023 national test, FEMA has said. Here are answers to all of your burning questions about today’s emergency alert test.Ĭan I opt-out of this test on my cell phone? But there was no action required from you after receiving the free message - it was just a test. Radio and TV stations also blared a test alert at around the same time. Brook Joyner/CNNĮssentially, what this means is that hundreds of millions of cell phones around the country made a screeching alert noise at approximately the same time today, beginning around 2:20 pm ET. The federal government began conducting a nationwide test of its Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts today.

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