UK Emergency Alerts service

At 3pm on Sunday, 7 September 2025 the UK Government will test its emergency text alert system.

Mobile phone customers on mobile phone networks based in Ireland will not receive the message. However, mobile phone customers near border areas in Ireland who roam onto a UK mobile phone network during this time will receive the alert/message.

The service can override users’ own settings on their phones/devices. For example, the ‘alert’ can override a phone that is set to ‘silent’ or ‘do not disturb’. Mobile phones or tablets don’t have to be connected to mobile data or WiFi to get alerts.

Recipients will hear a loud, siren-like sound and the phone will use a distinct vibration. A message will appear on the home screen of the phone until it is acknowledged.

The UK Emergency Alerts System, which is operational across Britain and Northern Ireland, was launched in March 2023 and was tested in April 2023. The system enables the UK Government to send an 'alert' message to all mobile phones and devices (such as certain tablets) if there is an emergency (for example, an extreme weather event) where lives are endangered.

An Emergency Alert looks and sounds very different to other types of messages such as SMS text messages. The alert will include a link to the GOV.UK website for more information.

Any texts sent by the UK Emergency Alerts system in Northern Ireland may be received by some people in border counties in Ireland, even if some of those recipients normally subscribe to a mobile phone service in Ireland.

Details of UK Emergency Alerts can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/alerts.