What 'armageddon alert' is going to say with every UK phone receiving message next weekend

The UK Government has shared more details about its planned test of the new emergency alert system due to take place next weekend.

At 3pm on Sunday 23 April, all mobile phones will emit a loud sound, regardless of whether it's set to silent or not, while a message will appear on the screen. You can hear how it will sound here:

The new public alert system is designed to alert UK residents about ‘danger to life’ scenarios, such as floods or wildfires.

Similar systems already exist in other countries, including the US and Canada, and this test will help pave the way for the system to be introduced in the UK.

The test will see people receive a message on the home screen of their mobile phone, along with a sound and vibration for up to ten seconds.

When the notification comes up, you don’t need to take any action - and the noise and vibration will stop after 10 seconds. Drivers are being warned not to look at their phones until it's safe.

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In England, Norther Ireland and Scotland, the message will read: “This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.

“In an actual emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.

“Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information.

“This is a test. You do not need to take any action.”

Whereas in Wales, residents will receive the message in English as above as well as a Welsh language version that reads: “Prawf ar Rybuddion Argyfwng yw hwn, sef gwasanaeth newydd gan lywodraeth y DU a fydd yn eich rhybuddio pan fydd argyfwng sy'n berygl i fywyd gerllaw.

Paul Lilley/Digitalshot / Alamy Stock Photo

“Mewn argyfwng go iawn, dilynwch y cyfarwyddiadau yn y rhybudd i'ch cadw chi ac eraill yn ddiogel.

“Ewch i gov.uk/alerts i gael rhagor o wybodaeth.

“Prawf yw hwn Does dim angen i chi wneud dim.”

Once you’ve seen the message, you can get rid of it by hitting ‘OK’ or swiping away like you would for any other notification.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Dowden MP, said: “Put the date in your diaries - at 3pm on 23 April, we’ll be testing our new national Emergency Alerts system.

“Getting this system operational with the national test means we have another tool in our toolkit to keep the public safe in life-threatening emergencies. It could be the sound that saves your life.”