Emergency Broadcasts Now
Currently, the primary method of alerting the UK population to an emergency is via an App running on a Smartphone. However, the Government recognises: “...emergency services will have other ways to notify those without a compatible device.”
The Emergency Alert System
The current UK emergency warning system, encompassing a range of threats, both natural and man-made, is based on the use of the mobile phone network to deliver the warning message.
Its runs on software developed by US based company, Everbridge, and cost the UK Government £25 million pounds to develop.
The application the UK uses is designed to work across all mobile phone networks and to be received on smartphones running iOS 14.5 and Android 11 onwards.
The application will display and produce a unique sounding alarm for approximately 10 seconds, even if the phone is set to silent, but not when the phone is in aeroplane mode.
Legacy Broadcast Media
The UK Goverment website www. gov.uk states:
“Emergency Alerts will not replace local news, radio, television or social media.”
implying that broadcasters will still play a role in both backing up the phone delivered alert and informing the estimated 10% of the UK population who do not possess, in the words of the Government "a compatible device".
"When you hear the air attack warning, you and your family must take cover at once"
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