Every Phone in Australia Is About to Go Off | Dirt Report

When the national test will happen

The test is scheduled for midday in Western Australia, 1:30 pm in South Australia and the Northern Territory, and 2:00 pm across the eastern states. Compatible phones may vibrate, light up and play a loud warning sound, even when silent mode or Do Not Disturb is enabled.

The message should last longer than 10 seconds and will clearly say that it is a test. Recipients do not need to take any action. Not every phone will necessarily receive the alert: older or unsupported devices, phones without current software, devices in airplane mode and phones that are not connected to a suitable tower may miss it.

How AusAlert uses cell broadcast

Australia’s existing emergency warning system mainly relies on SMS messages sent to phone numbers believed to be in an affected area. During a major disaster, SMS traffic can be delayed if networks are busy, damaged or overloaded. People who enter an affected area after messages are sent may also be missed.

AusAlert uses cell broadcast instead. An authorised emergency agency selects the warning area, and mobile networks instruct the relevant towers to broadcast the same message over a dedicated channel. Compatible phones listening within that area can receive the alert at essentially the same time.

The process is similar to a public radio announcement. The message is broadcast from selected towers to devices in their coverage area, rather than being individually addressed and delivered to millions of phone numbers. The phone already has the required receiver as part of its operating system, so users do not need to download an app, create an account or click a link.

Why phones can sound while silent

AusAlert has two main alert levels. Priority alerts can generally be adjusted through device notification settings, while critical alerts are reserved for the most dangerous situations and cannot normally be opted out of.

The national test deliberately uses the critical level so the system can be tested at full scale before it becomes operational in October. For a critical alert, the phone’s built-in emergency warning interface can wake the screen and use fixed warning sounds and vibration, overriding silent mode and Do Not Disturb.

This does not mean authorities are remotely opening phone settings or taking general control of the device. The phone is following emergency alert rules already built into compatible software. Anyone relying on a hidden phone for safety, including in situations involving domestic or family violence, should switch it off completely because silent mode may not prevent the alert sound.

What information AusAlert can access

According to NEMA, AusAlert does not collect or store a recipient’s phone number or location. The system does not require a person’s name, contacts, GPS location, app or account to send the broadcast.

A compatible device may receive an alert without a working SIM card if it can connect to an active and supported mobile network. AusAlert targets mobile tower coverage areas rather than requesting a live personal location from every recipient.

The system is not perfectly precise. Warning areas can reportedly be targeted to around 160 metres, but radio coverage does not stop neatly at a boundary on a map. Phones near the edge of an area may have different experiences depending on the tower, device and network they use. AusAlert also cannot reach phones in mobile black spots, as it depends on active 4G and 5G network coverage.

Why security and accuracy still matter

Only authorised emergency services and government agencies are intended to issue alerts, making access controls and security important. Because the system can broadcast widely, inaccurate, misleading or excessive alerts could reduce public trust. If too many minor events were treated as critical, people could become numb to the warnings.

Cell broadcast is not unique to Australia and does not require a personalised list of every recipient. However, emergency information will still need multiple channels, including local radio, television, emergency service apps, official websites and people checking on neighbours.