Samsung

Samsung is one of the phone makers whose handsets many UK households already own and rely on, and this site mentions models such as the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung Galaxy S8 in its guides. We do not review Samsung products as emergency kit, and there are no product pages for them here. What matters on a preparedness site is simpler: a Samsung phone is likely to be your household's means of calling for help, receiving emergency alerts and staying in touch, so keeping it charged, secure and traceable is part of getting ready.

What to do

Treat the phone as part of your household plan. Keep it fully charged, and have a fully-charged power bank available in case you need to charge your phone, tablet or other devices during a power cut¹. Tell the others you live with what to do in an emergency, including how you will contact each other. If your phone shows signal but calls will not connect, try sending a standard text message (SMS), because texts can get through even when the mobile network is extremely busy². Useful kit to keep alongside the phone includes a battery or wind-up radio, spare batteries, a first aid kit, bottled water and ready-to-eat food³.

What you need

A smartphone needs power and a connection to be useful. Alongside the phone and its charger, keep a power bank charged and a torch with spare batteries, and carry a charger and battery pack in any grab bag you prepare for floods or evacuation⁴. If you use smart devices around the home, expect that they need an internet connection and a smartphone or tablet with an app, or an online account, to manage them⁵.

Staying safe

Buy only a branded Samsung charger, or one from a reputable, reliable retailer: fire and rescue service advice on counterfeit phone chargers is clear on this point⁶. Keep the phone's software up to date and do not ignore update prompts⁷, and only install apps from official app stores such as Google Play, the Apple App Store or the Samsung Galaxy Store⁸. For instructions on keeping devices up to date, refer to the support area of the manufacturer's official website⁷.

If the phone is lost or stolen, Samsung phones have their own tracking tool, SmartThings Find, listed by police alongside the equivalent tools from Apple and Google⁹. Use strong passwords, never reuse them between accounts, and turn on two-factor authentication¹⁰. If you think the device has been hacked, reset it to factory settings, ask the manufacturer what extra steps to take, and back up your data where you safely can¹¹.

Where Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ

The advice above on chargers, updates and security applies across the UK, since it comes from national bodies. Emergency alerts reach compatible phones in all four nations, and on many phones and tablets you can check the setting through settings, then sounds, then advanced, then emergency broadcasts¹². Arrangements for telecare and landline devices during the digital phone switchover, which can affect households that rely on alarms, are set out in our guide to extra help in an emergency.

For more on where a phone fits your plans, see our guides to staying informed and in touch, power cuts, backup power at home, emergency lighting, cyber attacks and getting started.