2024-07-25 12:13:07
With Cell Broadcast you receive emergency messages directly on your smartphone. We’ll explain how to activate the function on Android.
Did you miss the last nationwide warning day in September 2022? Then it may be because you did not activate the notifications for it. In an emergency, a risk notification can save lives; with our step-by-step instructions you will be prepared.
Cell Broadcast is a technology that informs all mobile phone users in a certain area when there is a risk of disaster. The warning is sent as text with a maximum of 500 characters and a link to the federal warning portal. The risk message can be received even when the network is overloaded, which makes the technology more reliable than other warning systems. Your mobile phone number is not required. The system does not currently give the all-clear, so you must also get information from the media.
The cell broadcast function is usually already activated on Android systems from Android 11 onwards. Older operating systems are not supported. Check the Federal Office for Civil Protection list to see if your device is compatible.
Following the USA and France, Germany is now also using cell broadcast technology to warn as many people as possible in the event of an emergency. You don’t need an app or an internet connection to receive the messages. Here’s how to activate your cell phone to receive the warning messages:
Depending on the phone model, the menus are named differently. For example, on Samsung models, you open the “Wireless Emergency Alerts” menu.
If you have followed the instructions above and still have not received a warning, proceed as follows:
If you have ignored the warning message as spam, enter “Emergency” using the magnifying glass in your settings and select the respective message under “Emergency notification history” or “Previous emergency notifications”.