Received An Emergency Alert Text Message On Your Phone Today? Know What It Means

A number of mobile users in Karnataka were startled by alarming messages appearing on their phones.

These messages, which bore the label "Emergency Alert: Severe," were dispatched to mobile devices across the state including Bengaluru. The message appeared on the phone screen, regardless of the application being used, and was accompanied by a persistent beeping sound that ceased only after pressing the OK button.

These messages served as emergency alerts, and it was disclosed that they were part of a third test conducted by the Department of Telecommunication, Government of India, on October 12, 2023.

A few users mentioned that when their phones were on silent mode, they didn't hear the loud sound but could still observe the flashing message.

The message's content was straightforward, "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 notification stated along with the date and time it was issued.

Received emergency alert on my phone today 🚨🆘 . This is just a test message #emergencyalert pic.twitter.com/dESFTYYQLm

— Madhuri Adnal (@madhuriadnal) October 12, 2023

How many times will you send these emergency 🚨 text? Got second one at 12.13 pm 🥲 #emergencyalert

— Madhuri Adnal (@madhuriadnal) October 12, 2023

Second test message at 12.24 pm 🚨🆘 #emergency #emergencyalert pic.twitter.com/ButEfKTbJX

— Madhuri Adnal (@madhuriadnal) October 12, 2023

Who else is getting emergency Alert 🚨 Sounds scary #EmergencyAlert pic.twitter.com/rJ8uc8ikul

— Sabyasachi JENA (@The_Sabya) October 12, 2023

The office sounded like an ambulance for ten seconds 😬#EmergencyAlert pic.twitter.com/Dmk9zm6bAs

— Karthik Ravishankar (@urAvgKarthik) October 12, 2023

Social media lit up as netizens transformed these emergency alerts into hilarious memes.

Skeptic people after getting #EmergencyAlert test message. pic.twitter.com/HfpmWmsqf3

— ಮೀಮರ್ ಮುತ್ತಣ್ಣ (@ijnani) October 12, 2023

Me after getting back to back emergency alert:#EmergencyAlert pic.twitter.com/5mM6D86u61

— Shreya (@_shreya_15) October 12, 2023

For the unversed, the government collaborated with mobile service providers to execute this trial, aiming to evaluate the functionality of the emergency alert system. This system is designed to disseminate urgent warnings to mobile device users in the event of natural disasters, terrorist attacks, or other major emergencies.

Press release: Government of India
Ministry of Communications, Department of Telecommunications on Cell Broadcast Alert System testing by DoT. pic.twitter.com/734pt3ihwM

— Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (@KarnatakaSNDMC) October 10, 2023

The government previously conducted two trials of the emergency alert system in 2023, one in July and another in August. The messages in these trials were also marked "Emergency Alert: Severe" and featured accompanying beeping sounds. However, the first trial message had a more limited distribution compared to the second trial message.