Second national Emergency Alert test to take place

The government will carry out the second national test of the Emergency Alerts system at around 3pm on Sunday 7 September 2025¹. Mobile phones and tablets on 4G and 5G networks across the country will vibrate and emit a loud siren-like sound for up to ten seconds, and a test message will appear on screens making clear the alert is a drill⁴. The test was announced on 7 July alongside a new Resilience Action Plan².

The Cabinet Office said the test follows a commitment to test the system regularly so that it works optimally and the public become familiar with the alerts, in line with practice in other countries such as Japan and the USA¹. Since the first national test in April 2023, five alerts have been sent for real emergencies¹. The largest use was during Storm Éowyn in January 2025, when 4.5 million people in Scotland and Northern Ireland received an alert warning of life-threatening conditions¹. In December 2024, around three million people across Wales and south-west England received a message during Storm Darragh, when a rare red weather warning was issued⁴. The system was also used in Plymouth, where it helped evacuate 10,000 residents in hours after an unexploded Second World War bomb was discovered¹.

Lancashire Resilience Forum reports that approximately 87 million mobile devices will sound during the test⁵. The Cabinet Office said the first test in April 2023 drew reports from some users that their phones did not sound, with the problem traced back to specific networks⁵. Older phones, or those not connected to 4G or 5G networks, may not be compatible³.

The government has run a public information campaign ahead of the test, including communications targeted at vulnerable groups such as victims of domestic abuse, and the first national information video in British Sign Language⁴. The Welsh Government issued specific guidance for people who keep a hidden phone for safety reasons, warning that an unexpected sound could reveal its presence⁶.

The full text of the test message, published a month before the test, also says: "You do not need to take any action. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe." It directs people to gov.uk/prepare and gov.uk/alerts, the latter including a Welsh-language version¹.

Why it matters for households

The alert reaches phones based on current location, not where the user lives or works, and location services do not need to be switched on to receive it⁸. The sound overrides silent mode, a feature the Department for Education says is designed to ensure people receive warnings in genuine emergencies³. The Cabinet Office said the 3pm Sunday timing was chosen to minimise disruption to most people's daily routines, and most schools will be closed, though weekend events may see brief interruptions³.

The Welsh Government advises that hidden safety phones can be protected by disabling alerts in advance. On most iPhone and Android devices this is done by searching settings for "emergency alerts" and disabling "severe alerts" and "extreme alerts"; on other phones or tablets the settings may appear as "wireless emergency alerts" or "emergency broadcasts"⁶. It says users should disable "severe alerts", "extreme alerts" and "test alerts" on hidden phones, and notes that real alerts will not come with advance public warning like this test, so decisions need to be made now⁶. The Live Fear Free helpline offers free, confidential advice on 0808 80 10 800⁶. Lancashire Resilience Forum lists switching the device off entirely or putting it in aeroplane mode before 3pm as other options⁵.

The Cabinet Office said the test is "one of the biggest public safety exercises in our nation's history" and urged people to "mark the date, spread the word, and take a moment to think about how you would respond in a real emergency"¹. The government points households to gov.uk/prepare for advice on emergency supply kits and family communication plans³. Our guides on how the UK phone warning system works and what happens during an alert test set out the background, and what to do when you get an Emergency Alert covers real alerts.

What happens next

The test is scheduled for around 3pm on Sunday 7 September 2025⁴. No further national test date has been reported. The government has said it will test the system regularly¹.