New emergency alert system - what does this mean for survivors of domestic abuse?

Posted on April, 2023

A new emergency alert system from the Government is scheduled to be tested on phones at 3PM on Sunday 23rd April.

The alerts are to help warn people of danger nearby, but this could potentially be a risk to survivors of domestic abuse who have secondary or secret mobile phones.

Alerts will play a sound, even if the phone is on silent. The phone will also be unusable until the notification is acknowledged.

Women's Aid have released a guide on how you can opt out of these alerts, here's what they've said:

For iPhone
To opt out, search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’ and turn off ‘Severe alerts’ and ‘Emergency alerts.’ If this does not work, contact your device manufacturer.

For Android
To opt out, search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’ and turn off ‘Severe alerts’ and ‘Emergency alerts’. On some devices, search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’ and turn off ‘Extreme threats’, ‘Severe threats’ and ‘Show amber alerts’.

Refuge’s tech team have put together information for survivors with an iPhone or Android on how to opt-out of the system. You can also find out more at gov.uk/alerts and on the Q&A document.