Many smartphone users today received an 'emergency alert' message, along with a loud beep on their phones.
This was a government test of the emergency alert system, which was sent to numerous Android and Apple iPhone users.
In India, Apple iPhone users received this test alert for the first time. The alert appeared on users' mobile screens with a message and a loud alarm-like beeping sound.
The beeping continued until the user pressed ‘OK,’ ensuring that the alert message was noticed.
As per sources, these tests will be conducted periodically in different regions to evaluate the effectiveness of the emergency warning broadcast capabilities of mobile operators and cell broadcast systems.
This initiative is managed by the Department of Telecommunication's (DoT) Cell Broadcasting System.
The government is collaborating with the National Disaster Management Authority to use this alert system to notify users about natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and flash floods.
It is important to note that these alerts are meant to inform and test the system, so users need not be concerned about them.