The Indian Government has announced mock drills across metropolitan cities and other major regions on May 7. These drills will include evacuation procedures, blackout exercises, mock air-raid sirens, and other emergency routines. The government may also use its emergency broadcast service to send sample alerts to people in certain geographical locations. In order to receive these sample messages, you need to make sure that wireless emergency alerts are enabled on your Android or iOS device. Here’s how you can go about it.
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In This Article
How do Emergency Alerts work?
The Cell Broadcast Alert System (CBAS) is a collaborative effort between the Department of Telecommunications and the National Disaster Management Authority. The CBAS pushes wireless alerts on all devices, regardless of the network provider. These alerts are time sensitive and can be targeted to a specific region. Typically, these alerts are used to broadcast severe weather warnings, public safety messages, evacuation notices, notifications about missing people, and other information.
When your device receives an emergency alert, the message is flashed on the screen regardless of the content being currently displayed. Some alerts may be accompanied by a ringing alarm sound. You can choose to opt out of these alerts by disabling the wireless emergency alerts on your smartphone.
Enable Emergency Alerts on Android
Step 1: Go to Settings.
Step 2: Tap on Safety and emergency.
Step 3: Tap on Wireless emergency alerts.
Step 4: Turn on the toggle switch next to Allow alerts.
Step 5: Turn on the toggle switches for all alerts.
Enable Emergency Alerts on iOS
Step 1: Go to Settings.
Step 2: Tap on Notifications.
Step 3: Scroll down to the Government Alerts category.
Step 4: Turn on the toggle switch next to Test Alerts.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I find Emergency Alerts on my Android phone?
Go to Settings>Safety and emergency>Wireless emergency alerts and choose which alerts you want to enable.
How do I enable Emergency Alerts on my iPhone?
Go to Settings>Notifications, scroll down to Government Alerts, and choose which alerts you want to enable.
What is the Cell Broadcast Alert System?
The Cell Broadcast Alert System (CBAS) is used to send time-sensitive messages to all mobile devices within a geographical area in the event of a disaster.
Can I opt out of emergency alerts on my phone?
While it is not recommended, you can opt out of wireless emergency alerts on your phone by going to Settings>Safety and emergency>Wireless emergency alerts.
How do I set up an emergency contact on my Android phone?
Go to Settings>Safety and emergency>Emergency contacts>Add contact and fill in the required information for the emergency contact.
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Final Thoughts
This is how you can enable wireless emergency alerts on Android and iOS. While you’re here, check out how you can set up Emergency SOS on your phone (Android and iOS). If you have any questions, let us know in the comments!
