I'm Android Care Taker!
A Reddit user: At 10.20 AM today, I received a vibration alert saying “This is test Wireless Emergency Alert from Government of India”. Being suspicious of it being a malware, I immediately scanned my phone which showed no presence of malware or any virus on the phone.
This is why today’s blog is all about Wireless emergency alerts or amber alerts, In which I guide you through How to turn on emergency alerts and how to turn emergency alerts off.
How to Turn on or Off Wireless Emergency Alerts or Amber Alerts on Any Android
You can follow the same steps on any Android, whether from Samsung, Oppo Vivo, Xiaomi, HTC, Huawei, Motorola, etc.
Also, it tells you where emergency alerts are on Android and its significance.
Part 1: Enabling Wireless Emergency Alerts and Amber Alerts
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs): Wireless Emergency Alerts are short emergency messages sent by authorized government alerting authorities through your mobile carrier. They warn you about imminent threats to safety, such as severe weather, natural disasters, or local emergencies.
Here’s how to enable WEAs on your device:
For Android Devices:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Apps & notifications” or a similar option.
- Tap on “Advanced” or “Emergency alerts.”
- Toggle on “Emergency alerts” or “Wireless Emergency Alerts.”
For iOS Devices (iPhone):
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Notifications.”
- Scroll to the bottom and toggle on “Emergency Alerts.”
Enable or Disable Amber Alerts
Amber Alerts: Amber Alerts are notifications issued for child abductions or missing children. These alerts provide the public with critical information about the child and the suspect.
To enable Amber Alerts on your device:
- For Android Devices:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Apps & Notifications.”
- Tap on “Advanced” or “Emergency alerts.”
- Toggle on “Amber alerts.”
- For iOS Devices (iPhone):
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Notifications.”
- Scroll to the bottom and toggle on “Amber Alerts.”
Part 2: Disabling Wireless Emergency Alerts and Amber Alerts
While these alerts are vital for public safety, you can disable them if they are too frequent or disruptive.
Here’s how to disable the alerts:
For Android Devices:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Apps & Notifications.”
- Tap on “Advanced” or “Emergency alerts.”
- Toggle off “Emergency alerts” or “Wireless Emergency Alerts.”
For iOS Devices (iPhone):
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Notifications.”
- Scroll to the bottom and toggle off “Emergency Alerts.”
Remember, disabling these alerts might impact your ability to receive critical information during emergencies.
To disable Amber Alerts:
For Android Devices:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Apps & Notifications.”
- Tap on “Advanced” or “Emergency alerts.”
- Toggle off “Amber alerts.”
For iOS Devices (iPhone):
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Notifications.”
- Scroll to the bottom and toggle off “Amber Alerts.”
What are Wireless Emergency Alerts? Where is it on Android?
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are brief emergency messages sent by authorized government alerting authorities via wireless carriers to notify the public of imminent threats to safety. These alerts are intended to notify the public of severe weather conditions, natural disasters, AMBER alerts (missing children), and other critical situations that require immediate attention.
On Android devices, the location of the “Emergency Alerts” or “Wireless Emergency Alerts” settings can vary slightly depending on the device’s manufacturer and Android version. However, I’ll provide you with a general guide on how to find the emergency alert settings on most Android devices:
Finding Emergency Alerts Settings on Android:
- Open the “Settings” app on your Android device (usually represented by a gear icon).
- Scroll down or navigate to the section that involves “Apps & notifications,” “Sound & vibration,” or a similar title.
- Look for “Emergency alerts” or “Wireless Emergency Alerts” within this section. It might also be under “Advanced” settings.
- Tap “Emergency alerts” or “Wireless Emergency Alerts” to access the alert settings.
In this section, you can usually find options to enable or disable different types of emergency alerts, such as
- Presidential alerts
- Extreme alerts (e.g., severe weather)
- AMBER alerts (missing children)
- Public safety alerts
Enable or disable Emergency Alerts on All Brands
Here’s a guide on how to enable or disable emergency alerts on various smartphone brands:
Samsung
To Turn On:
- Open the “Settings” app on your Samsung device.
- Scroll down and select “Apps & notifications” or a similar option (this might be named slightly differently on different Samsung models).
- Tap on “Advanced” or “Emergency alerts.”
- Toggle on “Emergency alerts” or “Wireless Emergency Alerts.”
To Turn Off: Follow the steps above, but toggle off “Allow alerting” in the Emergency Alerts section.
OnePlus
To Turn On:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Apps & Notifications.”
- Tap on “Emergency alerts.”
- Toggle on “Receive emergency alerts.”
To Turn Off: Follow the steps above, but toggle off “Receive emergency alerts” in the Emergency Alerts section.
Lenovo
To Turn On:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Security & location.”
- Tap on “Emergency alerts.”
- Toggle on “Receive alerts.”
To Turn Off: Follow the steps above, but toggle off “Receive alerts” in the Emergency Alerts section.
T-Mobile
To Turn On: T-Mobile devices typically have emergency alerts enabled by default. However, to confirm:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Notifications.”
- Tap on “Advanced settings.”
- Ensure that “Emergency alerts” are turned on.
To Turn Off: Follow the same steps as above, but toggle off “Emergency alerts” in the Advanced settings.
LG
To Turn On:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Apps.”
- Tap on the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner and select “Special access.”
- Choose “Emergency alerts.”
- Toggle on “Allow alerting.”
To Turn Off: Follow the same steps as above, but toggle off “Allow alerting” in the Emergency alerts section.
Xiaomi (MIUI)
To Turn On:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Additional settings.”
- Tap on “Emergency alerts.”
- Toggle on “Receive alerts.”
To Turn Off: Follow the same steps as above, but toggle off “Receive alerts” in the Emergency alerts section.
HTC
To Turn On:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Sound & notification.”
- Tap on “Emergency alerts.”
- Toggle on “Show extreme threats.”
To Turn Off: Follow the same steps as above, but toggle off “Show extreme threats” in the Emergency Alerts section.
Huawei
To Turn On:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Apps & Notifications.”
- Tap on “Emergency alerts.”
- Toggle on “Allow alerts.”
To Turn Off: Follow the same steps as above, but toggle off “Allow alerts” in the Emergency alerts section.
Motorola
To Turn On:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Apps & Notifications.”
- Tap on “Advanced.”
- Tap on “Wireless emergency alerts.”
- Toggle on “Allow alerts.”
To Turn Off: Follow the same steps as above, but toggle off “Allow alerts” in the Wireless emergency alerts section.
Google Pixel (Stock Android)
To Turn On:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Scroll down and select “Apps & Notifications.”
- Tap on “Advanced.”
- Scroll down and select “Emergency alerts.”
- Toggle on “Allow alerts.”
To Turn Off: Follow the steps above, but toggle off “Allow alerts” in the Emergency alerts section.
- https://www.reddit.com/r/india/comments/154hib9/wireless_emergency_alert_on_phone_from_government/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/EmergencyAlertSystem/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/5wduaf/emergency_alert/
Conclusion
In short, Wireless emergency alerts have multiple options, such as extreme threats, severe threats, AMBER Alerts, Test alerts, and update broadcasts. This menu includes additional settings, such as Alert preference, where you can see Vibrations, Alert reminders, and speak alert messages.
Today, it showed you how to enable Emergency alerts or how to turn them off. Some people are looking for dedicated steps for their devices, so we have listed them.
Moreover, if someone wants to disable one setting, such as AMBER Alerts, they can only do it.