Public emergency alerts to be sent to all UK smartphones on 23rd April

Sarahspangles

Considering the number of things that now beep this is just going to be another, louder and less musical.
I’ve had ‘surprise’ alerts recently from my fitness band (announces it’s fully charged), washing machine (plays an irritating tune, relegated to the garage) and because one of the tyres on my newish car was a bit low.  None of these caused me to hop off my twig.
The analogy I think is an ambulance turning out of a side road into a queue of traffic and turning on its siren.  You’re meant to sit up and take notice, but if you’re the driver you were already supposed to be.

RumRat

Cisco001 said:

Honestly, I though these emergency alert could only be useful when there is terrorist or missile attack...

I honestly not aware of any serious wild fire in UK. And with serve flooding and extreme weather, we usually be warned days before...

745 Wildfires in the Uk last year alone and they change direction without prediction....Floods a plenty where there was no prior expectation. Besides, it's not about what was it's more about what is in the future.

littlemoney

I won't be getting any alerts as my smart phone is too old.

Newcad

I'm planning to be in the pub at 3PM tomorrow, could be interesting to watch reactions.

There's a though for those of us old enough to remember - 'Time gentlemen please' alert?

Overall though it's just a 10 minute (10 second?) wonder, and we'll soon all forget about it.
They are doing it because other contries have similar systems, mainly not needed but 'just because we can'.

twopenny

More detail https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65177316

Won't work on 3G. Gov reckon 90% of people have 4/5G.

IT reviews show 21-25% and that's not including the people without mobiles. Yes, they do exist.

RumRat

twopenny said:

More detail https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65177316

Won't work on 3G. Gov reckon 90% of people have 4/5G.

IT reviews show 21-25% and that's not including the people without mobiles. Yes, they do exist.

Again....Natural selection at work...

facade

twopenny said:

More detail https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65177316

Won't work on 3G. Gov reckon 90% of people have 4/5G.

IT reviews show 21-25% and that's not including the people without mobiles. Yes, they do exist.

Interesting, it also says you need android 11 or ios 14.5.

Only my newest most bestest 'phone has Android 11.  Looks like I will only get one alert.

How disappointing.

Clearly 90% of the 'phones in use are under 3 years old

spenderdave

90% may well be the coverage extent of 4G/5G rather than the number of phones which can do it.
My six month old android frequently shows connected to H+ rather than 4G. This seems somewhere between 3G and 4G and it is not clear whether that will get the alerts. In all a pretty bad show if only 25% of phones are capable of receiving it and half of those have disabled alerts.
The fundamental flaw with this way of doing alerts is assuming everybody has a mobile phone and it is on their person at the time. Unless I expect to need the phone it sits in standby at home where it will be this afternoon when I am on my afternoon walk.

missile

spenderdave said:

90% may well be the coverage extent of 4G/5G rather than the number of phones which can do it.
My six month old android frequently shows connected to H+ rather than 4G. This seems somewhere between 3G and 4G and it is not clear whether that will get the alerts. In all a pretty bad show if only 25% of phones are capable of receiving it and half of those have disabled alerts.
The fundamental flaw with this way of doing alerts is assuming everybody has a mobile phone and it is on their person at the time. Unless I expect to need the phone it sits in standby at home where it will be this afternoon when I am on my afternoon walk.

Millennials never go anywhere without their phone. No doubt RumRat would call this natural selection.

[Deleted User]

spenderdave said:

The fundamental flaw with this way of doing alerts is assuming everybody has a mobile phone and it is on their person at the time. 

So what is a better solution with a wider reach?

Don't think there is one but happy to be corrected.