Mobile phone ‘Armageddon alert’ date set: When the public warning system siren will go off in Sheffield

Millions of people across the UK, including those in Sheffield, will hear a loud siren-like ‘armageddon alert’ from their mobile phone as part of a test of a new public warning system by the government and emergency services in the coming weeks. The test is expected to take place in the early evening of April 23.

The alarm is a system that would allow the government and emergency services to send an immediate warning to the public if they are in danger of dying. People will be unable to use their phones unless they acknowledge the message, ensuring that people are well-informed in the event of flooding or wildfires.

According to the Government’s National Resilience Framework, which was published in December, the system is expected to launch across the UK in ‘early 2023’ but as of yet, it is still in its testing phase.

When the alarm went off in Reading in 2021, many residents were taken aback. Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden told the BBC that warnings would be "targeted," and that he hoped people would never hear the alert again after the April 23 test.

The programme has bipartisan support, but the government has been chastised for not implementing it quickly enough. Fleur Anderson, Labour’s shadow paymaster general, said: "While Britain faces increasing global threats, not least from Putin’s Russia, this saga has dragged on far too long and left our country lagging far behind on keeping the public safe.”

The government has stated no data will be collected by the system and that the alert is completely free to receive. People can also opt out receiving the alert by toggling severe and extreme emergency alerts in your phone’s settings.

What is an armageddon alert?

On April 23, the government will conduct a test of the so-called ‘armageddon alert’ system, which is designed to warn people of floods, extreme weather, fires, and other life-threatening dangers.

The trial will involve sending a test alert to every smartphone in the nation, causing them to emit a loud siren sound, vibrate, and display a message informing users of the test.

According to the government, the trial alert will simply inform recipients that it is a test and that no action is required. It is understood it will be impossible to reply to the messages, and that the only required action will be to click "OK" to clear the message from the phone screen.