How to Get Emergency Alerts on Your Cell Phone

Most at-home medical alert systems feature a base unit (on-the-go systems typically don’t need one) that plugs into an outlet and connects wirelessly to wearable help buttons. Many companies include a setup guide and offer customer support to help with any questions.

At 3pm on Sunday, millions of mobile phones will issue a siren-like sound and vibrate for ten seconds – even if they’re on silent. It’s a test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system.

What is WEA?

WEA is a way for authorities to send alerts directly to your phone (and other devices that have the capability like smart watches and tablets). The emergency alert messages are one-way and do not charge air time or message fees. These messages are similar to the EAS messages you hear on the radio or see scrolling on the TV for major emergency events that affect a large area, such as tornado warnings. These alerts are able to go through the cell carrier towers and transfer the information to all mobile phones that are WEA capable in the affected area.

WEAs use technology that overrides wireless network congestion and delays to deliver messages directly to targeted cell phones within a geographic area. The emergency alerts are designed to look like text messages, and have a special tone and vibration repeated twice. The message may include important safety information, and advise you to take any protective actions recommended.

WEAs include Imminent Threat Alerts, Public Safety messages and AMBER Alerts. You cannot opt out of these types of alerts. Consumers also may receive local or state test alerts on their WEA-capable mobile device (provided that they have opted in to receive them) and Presidential alerts. Wireless carriers and WEA-capable mobile devices are required to provide conspicuous language in each of these messages that clearly identifies them as being test alerts rather than actual Wireless Emergency Alerts.

How do WEAs work?

WEAs are emergency alerts that can bypass wireless network congestion and reach mobile devices in a geographic area targeted by the agency sending the alert. They look like a text message and can only be up to 360 characters in length but are distinctively different because they chime with a unique sound and vibration. WEA messages also do not disrupt texts, phone calls or data sessions in progress and do not use location services.

WEAs can be created by any federal, state, local or tribal agency authorized to issue emergency alerts under the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS). Once an alert is issued IPAWS distributes it to phone carriers, which then broadcast the message through cellular towers in the affected area using one-way transmission technology. The message is then received by WEA-capable mobile devices within range of those towers.





fall alarm All major cell providers participate in the WEA program on a voluntary basis. Newer mobile devices and smartphones typically have WEA capabilities but you should check the device’s settings or contact your provider to confirm its WEA capability. For those with older devices, a software update may improve the device’s ability to receive WEAs. Also, the device’s capabilities are determined by its WEA version; for example, a WEA 3.0 capable device is able to receive messages that are up to 90 characters long and provide clickable URLs linking to additional information.

How do I get WEAs?

If you have a compatible cell phone, you can receive these geographically targeted messages. These alerts, which are free and do not count against your text-message limits, are delivered through the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system established alongside the Common Mobile Access System (CMAS) by federal, state and local agencies.

WEA messages look like standard text messages, but are identified by a special notification tone and vibration. They may include the type of emergency, recommended action and contact information. WEAs are sent through authorized public-alerting agencies and can include Imminent Threat alerts, AMBER alerts, Presidential Alerts and Silver and Blue alerts for missing federal, state and local law enforcement officers.

To receive WEAs, you must have a compatible phone and your service provider must participate in the program. Currently, all nationwide wireless providers and dozens of regional carriers serving over 99% of Americans voluntarily support the WEA program. Prepaid consumers can also get WEAs if their provider chooses to participate and they have a WEA-capable device.

You can turn WEAs on or off on your phone, and you may opt out of receiving imminent threat alerts and AMBER alerts. You can also turn off Enhanced 911 Emergency Alerts and Public Safety Messages. You can find these options on the Settings app or in your phone’s user manual, and the options will vary among phones.

What happens if I don’t get WEAs?

Three loud beeps and a vibration are jolting ways for you to receive emergency alerts on your cell phone when danger is near. These alerts are called Wireless Emergency Alerts, or WEAs, and have saved lives in the past by warning people to evacuate a building during a tornado or to turn on their car horn when an approaching storm is causing flash flooding.

WEA works through a partnership between the federal government, wireless providers and FEMA to send geographically targeted alerts to customers with compatible mobile devices. Authorized national, state and local public safety officials can use WEA to warn the public about severe weather, missing children, or other critical situations that require immediate action.

The WEA system uses the cell carriers’ towers to reach almost all modern phones, as well as tablets, smart watches and some other devices. It’s different from opt-in, subscription-based systems like Everbridge and Smart911, which have databases of cell phones linked to home addresses or landlines, and are limited in their scope to a specific area drawn on a map.

lone working devices One big limitation of WEA is that alerts are only available in English, excluding about 300,000 Coloradans whose primary language is something other than English. There are also limitations on how long an alert can be — currently 90 characters or less, depending on the cell carrier and phone manufacturer.