AusAlert emergency warning test: What happens if you don't receive an alert?

People may have different experiences of the AusAlert test depending on their device, mobile network, settings and location.

You can provide feedback to authorities if you don't get the AusAlert test message on Monday. Credit: AAP/Graphic art by Rosemary Vasquez-brown

In Brief

• Australia is planning to roll out a new national emergency warning system, AusAlert.
• The system will be tested on Monday, with compatible devices receiving an alert.

With millions of Australians to receive a loud siren and text message simultaneously across the country for the national AusAlert test, many have been preparing their phones ahead of the warning.

AusAlert is a new national emergency warning system being rolled out by the federal government to deliver faster, more reliable alerts during life-threatening events such as bushfires, floods and cyclones.

Australians will experience the system for the first time during a nationwide test on Monday afternoon, and are being told to be aware of the incoming 10-second siren.

It will sound at 2pm AEST, 1.30pm ACST and 12pm AWST, and the alert will come out of mobile phones, smartwatches, and tablets.

It's cell-based technology, so a compatible device connected to a tower will sound the alert.

Here's what you can do if you don't get the message.

What is the point of AusAlert?

AusAlert will be officially rolled out in October as a way for emergency agencies to warn people about life-threatening emergencies.

The alert is designed to ensure warnings are not missed, so it will override "do not disturb" or silent mode settings.

If you don't wish to receive the notification, you need to turn off the phone or put it in aeroplane mode.

Authorities have advised people who rely on concealed mobile phones for their safety to switch them off during Monday's test.

What do you do if you don't get it?

If your device isn't switched off or on aeroplane mode, it may be because it wasn't connected to a tower in those 10 seconds, it's not a compatible device, or hasn't had system updates.

Some non–compatible or older phones might not get the test.

Authorities have a fairly simple reply: don't panic, it's just a test — but any glitches could give them some tips on how to manage an actual national emergency.

You don't have to do anything, or alert any authorities. But if you want to give feedback on how your device responded to the activation, there will be an online survey you can fill out to explain what happened.

"We've obviously got a website, AusAlert, so people can go and provide direct feedback to that if they don't receive the alert or they do and they want to provide some advice about how their phone worked," Emergency Management Minister Kirsty McBain said.

The National Emergency Management Agency, which is looking after the test, says people may experience the test differently depending on where they're located, what kind of device they have or their settings.

"Some people may receive the alert immediately, some may receive it later, and some may not receive it at all," it said.

"The purpose of testing is to understand these real-world differences, confirm the system is working as intended, and improve public information before AusAlert is used in real emergencies."

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