Received ‘Emergency Alert: Severe’ Message On Your Phone? Don’t Panic, It’s Just A Test

On Friday, at around noon, several smartphones received a sudden popup with the banner, “Emergency alert: Severe”. While the suddenness of the message might be alarming to some, readers are advised to keep calm and carry on, because for now, the flash is just a test. 

This is the complete flash message:

“This is a SAMPLE TESTING MESSAGE sent through Cell Broadcasting System by Department of Telecommunication, Government of India. Please ignore this message as no action is required from your end. This message has been sent to TEST Pan-India Emergency Alert System being implemented by National Disaster Management Authority. It aims to enhance public safety and provide timely alerts during emergencies,” the flash message read.

As the message states clearly, “No action is required from your end”.

It should be noted that the flash broadcast appeared only on Android handsets. ABP Live could verify that iOS handsets didn’t get it at the time of writing.

This is not the first time the flash message has appeared, either. PTI reported similar flashes back in August this year. 

In fact, the DoT and NDMA have been conducting a “Cell Broadcast Alert System testing to enhance emergency communication during disasters” since July, as per a government release. 

Some users may also have recently received an SMS from the Department of Telecommunications, stating, “DoT, Govt of India would conduct Cell Broadcast testing with NDMA. You may receive test alerts on mobile with sound/vibration. These alerts are part of testing process, do not indicate an actual emergency and do not require any action at your end.”

The message received was a deliberate test notification sent by the DoT to assess the functionality of its emergency alert system.

As explained by the DoT, the cell broadcast alert system is a technology enabling the government to transmit crucial and time-sensitive messages related to disaster management to all mobile devices within a specified geographic area, regardless of whether the recipients are residents or visitors.

Cell Broadcast is a commonly utilised method for distributing emergency alerts, including severe weather warnings like tsunamis, flash floods, earthquakes, and similar events.