2024-03-15 14:18:26
Today is another warning day in some regions: This is what you have to do so that a notification arrives on your cell phone at 11 a.m.
Alarm in some parts of Germany: At 11 a.m. in Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia, among others, a test alarm will be triggered via various channels – including via cell phones. This is ensured by the so-called cell broadcast, with which you can receive emergency reports directly on your smartphone in the event of an emergency, accompanied by a loud warning tone.
We’ll explain how to activate the function on Android and iOS.
Was ist Cell Broadcast?
Cell broadcast is a technology that informs all mobile device users in a specific area when there is a threat of disaster. The warning is transmitted as a text with a maximum of 500 characters and a link to the federal warning portal.
Cell Broadcast works with modern cell phones that are switched on, as long as they are neither in dead zone nor in airplane mode. In addition, cell phone users should have made necessary updates. You can find out which phones do not receive a warning here.
Which devices can receive messages via cell broadcast? On Android systems starting with Android 11, the cell broadcast function is usually already activated. Older operating systems are not supported. Check the list from the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) to see whether your device is compatible.
Apple’s receiving devices include iPhones from version 6s and 6s Plus. Apple Watches of the Cellular variant of the Apple Watch Series 4 and newer can also receive Cell Broadcast messages. The BBK has summarized all compatible devices on one page.
Enable Cell Broadcast in Android
- Open your phone’s settings.
- Enter the Security and Emergencies menu.
- Here, select “Emergency notifications for mobile devices.”
- Turn on all emergency notifications.
Depending on the cell phone model, the menus are named differently. For example, on Samsung models, you access the “Wireless Emergency Alerts” menu.
No warning received
If you followed the instructions above and still did not receive a warning, proceed as follows:
- Update your operating system to the new version.
- Check whether your phone is connected to the mobile network.
- Also enable receiving test alerts via the settings.
Enable Cell Broadcast on iPhone
- Open your iPhone’s Settings.
- Go to “Notifications.”
- Scroll down to “Cell Broadcast Alerts.”
Here you can manually select which messages you would like to receive in the future (“Extreme Danger”, “Danger Information” and “Test Warnings”).
Make a selection and enable the alerts you want.