Yes, it is real. There’ll be a nationwide emergency alert test on October 4th 2023. FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System. The aim of this test is to find out if the alert systems used by the government can effectively inform people of an emergency.
What Will The Emergency Alert Say?
On October 4th, every cellphone or tablet across the country will receive an alert test by 2:20pm Eastern that says ”THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
What Should You Do When You Receive This Emergency Alert?
Since it’s an alert test, you don’t need to do anything when you receive the alert. However, in real emergency alerts you’d need to follow the instructions written in the alert.
How To Turn On Emergency Alerts on iPhone & Android
To enable emergency and government alerts on your iPhone, simply do the following;
- Make sure that your iPhone is using the latest version of iOS (iOS 15.6 or later).
- Go to Settings > Notifications.
- Turn Test Alerts on or off.
For Android phones, do this;
- On your Android device, open Settings
- Tap Notifications
Wireless emergency alerts.
- Select the alerts you want to receive.
End Note
Yes, there’ll be an emergency alert test by 2:20pm Eastern on October 4th 2023. It’s real not a rumor. When you receive the emergency alert, you’re not required to do anything as it’s just a test.