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Amber Alert? I thought we were being nuked.

oaktree said:
I had read about this a few months ago, and made sure I turned it off pronto. I have a great deal of sympathy for those that are related to the individual, but don't think I need to be alerted. Now the emergency weather alerts? That's a different story. I definitely left that on.
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I turned the weather off on mine, I use weather underground. I can set up which weather alerts it triggers so I don't get woke up for a flood warning that's not gonna effect me.

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Jman13 said:
I had one go off one morning at 4:30 AM. For someone in Cleveland. I'd like to keep them on. I'm a parent if two children, and I'd die if they were taken from me, but you can't go setting off exceptionally loud sirens in the middle of the night for alerts 140 miles away. If there were an option to simply have them be silent but still show up in my lock screen and notifications if I have do not disturb on, that would be fantastic.
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I got that alert also, made me turn off amber alerts on my iphone.
 
I had one go off on my new 5c the other day,it was about midnight and I'm laying in bed dozing off.IT scared the living Crap out me!,,:eek: I flew out of bed and was trying to figure out what the heck was going on,I thought we were under attack or something:p
 
kenknotts said:
Any way to make that my alarm clock tone?:D
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That I could go for I set about 4 alarms all with diffrent tones, slept through to many alarms. I've even slept through the alert at the station before and it's a basketball buzzer in a house:eek:
 
Can anybody find a link to maybe a video of what it sounds like, I can't find anything with the actual sound. I'm quite curious now.
 
Technology has advanced to the point in year 2013 that we don't need amber alerts waking people up on their smartphones in the middle of the night. Surely this feature (which I do recognize has tremendous value) can be customized and adapted to the end user.

Turning this feature off entirely is when the feature has zero value, which I myself have done. Hopefully this will be addressed for future iOS releases.
 
Your areas amber alert people are bad, my area tends to leave it for when it's really needed. Only one day I had various amber alerts and it was raining a LOT.
 
i remember in a pharmacy once when an amber alert was issued, like all the phones in the area went off. it was actually kinda neat if not annoying lol.

As annoying as they are, i leave the things on. Never know when i might need to be informed of an emergency or a kidnapped child.
 
tharepairguy said:
While I agree they need to work on the settings for amber alerts so more people are willing to keep the option on. As a parent, getting woke up in the middle of the night is no big deal. These types of things only work if people keep the function on. There are surely people out on the roads in the middle of the night that could benefit from said alert.

To each their own I guess...
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I appreciate the idea of Amber alert. But it is loud and obnoxious and goes off in the middle of the night and bypasses silent. Turned it off. Good idea, bad implementation.
 
Pretty much everyone here seems to be missing the point of the amber alerts. These alerts are to get out information IMMEDIATELY toast many people add possible. In a kidnapping, time is the most critical factor. If an alert goes out within a few minutes of a kidnapping, with a vehicle description, getting that info out there is key. While yes, an alert at 3:00 am will serve to wake up 99% of people, what if one of the few people driving at that time sees the alert, then notices the car he is behind matches the description. This is why it goes out, because the alert system can't tell who is on the road or not.

While I agree that it could be annoying at inopertune times, there is a point to it. There probably should at least be an option to include that in the do not disturb for the iPhone.
 
Mobster1983 said:
Pretty much everyone here seems to be missing the point of the amber alerts.
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No, we completely get it, and we agree that they are a good thing. Unfortunately, to say they're poorly executed would be an understatement.

If they went off at the same volume as the phone currently is at, there wouldn't be an issue.
 
Mobster1983 said:
Pretty much everyone here seems to be missing the point of the amber alerts. These alerts are to get out information IMMEDIATELY toast many people add possible. In a kidnapping, time is the most critical factor. If an alert goes out within a few minutes of a kidnapping, with a vehicle description, getting that info out there is key. While yes, an alert at 3:00 am will serve to wake up 99% of people, what if one of the few people driving at that time sees the alert, then notices the car he is behind matches the description. This is why it goes out, because the alert system can't tell who is on the road or not.

While I agree that it could be annoying at inopertune times, there is a point to it. There probably should at least be an option to include that in the do not disturb for the iPhone.
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If someone is awake, they will not need a sound so loud and enjoying to get their attention, and is someone is asleep, they are not gonna get up to go out and drive around and look for a "silver honda".

But if I am asleep, and I get the damn warning, at full blast, you can bet that will be the day I will turn that damn thing off... (I have a very hard time sleeping as it is).

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cyks said:
No, we completely get it, and we agree that they are a good thing. Unfortunately, to say they're poorly executed would be an understatement.

If they went off at the same volume as the phone currently is at, there wouldn't be an issue.
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OFF TOPIC

Nice to see someone else from Westchester Co here... (White Plains).
 
Mobster1983 said:
Pretty much everyone here seems to be missing the point of the amber alerts.
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I get it but what you don't seem to get is the poor implementation is resulting in people opting out by turning the feature off. Giving the user more control on how the notification is received will increase the likelihood that people will keep the alerts turned on.

I might add a large part of the implementation process is solid training on the part of EMS not to over use it.
 
tkmcguire1 said:
I had one go off on my new 5c the other day,it was about midnight and I'm laying in bed dozing off.IT scared the living Crap out me!,,:eek: I flew out of bed and was trying to figure out what the heck was going on,I thought we were under attack or something:p
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A few years ago I had moved into this new apartment. Apparently they had a pa system with speakers in each apartment that I was unaware of. I'm laying in bed in a very deep sleep. I wake up to this pre-recorded almost mechanical like voice telling me to get up and get out of my apartment. I JERKED up out of bed so violently, but I'm in one of those modes where I was in such a deep sleep I had no idea where I was or what was going on. For a solid 30 seconds I just looked around in the dark, listening to the voice, trying to figure out where I was and what the hell was going on.

One of the most freaky and frightening moments of my life. That repeated almost every 2 weeks for the first 2-3 months I lived there. Freaky stuff.

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Mobster1983 said:
Pretty much everyone here seems to be missing the point of the amber alerts.
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Gutwrench said:
I get it but what you don't seem to get is the poor implementation is resulting in people opting out by turning the feature off. Giving the user more control on how the notification is received will increase the likelihood that people will keep the alerts turned on.

I might add a large part of the implementation process is solid training on the part of EMS not to over use it.
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In your mind, how is it poorly implemented? The time it's set off? Should we wait until everyone is awake and now the kidnapper is 500 miles away? Is it the distance from the event that bothers you? If a kidnapper takes a kid and it takes 2 hours for anyone to notice and get the alert out, that kidnapper could EASILY be 150 miles away by the time the alert is sent out.

So, tell us how you would do it differently?

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cyks said:
No, we completely get it, and we agree that they are a good thing. Unfortunately, to say they're poorly executed would be an understatement.

If they went off at the same volume as the phone currently is at, there wouldn't be an issue.
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They do mute it if your phone is muted. Are you saying you keep your ringer on a low volume but the Amber alert is at top volume? (my ringer is usually on the top volume anyway)
 
After a couple of alerts that involved something hundreds of miles away, I shut my amber alerts down. It is ashame our government can not administer the system correctly. Why am I not surprised.

Just look at our America EBS system where they break in your TV broadcast to alert us of disaster. We have spent billions on this over the years. The last time one went off at my house, the audio was nothing but static and it went to the jewelry channel for video. When it as done it back to my regular programming.

I laughed till I near cried. Thinking that this is what our government is going to do for us when we have a real emergency. What a joke.

Now they are going to run our healthcare!:eek:
 
Mobster1983 said:
Pretty much everyone here seems to be missing the point of the amber alerts. These alerts are to get out information IMMEDIATELY toast many people add possible. In a kidnapping, time is the most critical factor. If an alert goes out within a few minutes of a kidnapping, with a vehicle description, getting that info out there is key. While yes, an alert at 3:00 am will serve to wake up 99% of people, what if one of the few people driving at that time sees the alert, then notices the car he is behind matches the description. This is why it goes out, because the alert system can't tell who is on the road or not.

While I agree that it could be annoying at inopertune times, there is a point to it. There probably should at least be an option to include that in the do not disturb for the iPhone.
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But having it bypass silent is counter-productive. I get if you are out at 4am that you could be informed and maybe help save a child. That is awesome. But if I'm sleeping in the middle of the night, what is waking me going to do? Am I going to get up, get dressed, and spring to action in the middle of the night attempting to intercept the kidnapper? Of course not. So, because there is a chance of being alerted at in opportune times, because it thinks it's all important. It is now disabled and I will never receive an alert. Even if I'm on the street with the car right next to me. Again. Good idea, poor implementation.

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Geckotek said:
A few years ago I had moved into this new apartment. Apparently they had a pa system with speakers in each apartment that I was unaware of. I'm laying in bed in a very deep sleep. I wake up to this pre-recorded almost mechanical like voice telling me to get up and get out of my apartment. I JERKED up out of bed so violently, but I'm in one of those modes where I was in such a deep sleep I had no idea where I was or what was going on. For a solid 30 seconds I just looked around in the dark, listening to the voice, trying to figure out where I was and what the hell was going on.

One of the most freaky and frightening moments of my life. That repeated almost every 2 weeks for the first 2-3 months I lived there. Freaky stuff.

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In your mind, how is it poorly implemented? The time it's set off? Should we wait until everyone is awake and now the kidnapper is 500 miles away? Is it the distance from the event that bothers you? If a kidnapper takes a kid and it takes 2 hours for anyone to notice and get the alert out, that kidnapper could EASILY be 150 miles away by the time the alert is sent out.

So, tell us how you would do it differently?

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They do mute it if your phone is muted. Are you saying you keep your ringer on a low volume but the Amber alert is at top volume? (my ringer is usually on the top volume anyway)
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They do not mute. You are incorrect. I use do not disturb, which silences my phone at night and an amber alert blasted me awake the night I disabled it.
 
You know, you selfish ****s, that alert means someone just lost their child, and that child may at that very moment be in a car with a psycho. So what you were sleeping-go the **** back to sleep, you whiny little babies.

"Works best in the daytime"? Are you really that stupid? It works best when you're notified right away, so that, for example, if you happen to be driving home late from a party, you'll know to look around and see if you can see the car with the scared little kid in it.

Turn off amber alerts but you'd love to have it for weather reports? Really? Do you HEAR yourself?

And I don't even have kids... But the level of laziness and selfishness in here is mind boggling.
 
lionqueen said:
You know, you selfish ****s, that alert means someone just lost their child, and that child may at that very moment be in a car with a psycho. So what you were sleeping-go the **** back to sleep, you whiny little babies.

"Works best in the daytime"? Are you really that stupid? It works best when you're notified right away, so that, for example, if you happen to be driving home late from a party, you'll know to look around and see if you can see the car with the scared little kid in it.

Turn off amber alerts but you'd love to have it for weather reports? Really? Do you HEAR yourself?

And I don't even have kids... But the level of laziness and selfishness in here is mind boggling.
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Again, allow it to be muted and I'm all in. You're telling me if you are woken in the middle of the night you are going to get dressed and start roaming the streets looking for this person? If so, you are an amazing person, or a liar. Again, the alert is meant as a crowd source. Meaning of the millions that receive it, someone might be in a location that matches the alert. It is NOT meant for everyone to turn into a vigilante task squad and go running for the streets as soon as an alert comes in. By bypassing silent and dnd, however, they are severely limiting the crowd when people disable the feature. Which is BAD! Get the complaint now?
 
gentlefury said:
Again, allow it to be muted and I'm all in. You're telling me if you are woken in the middle of the night you are going to get dressed and start roaming the streets looking for this person? If so, you are an amazing person, or a liar. Again, the alert is meant as a crowd source. Meaning of the millions that receive it, someone might be in a location that matches the alert. It is NOT meant for everyone to turn into a vigilante task squad and go running for the streets as soon as an alert comes in. By bypassing silent and dnd, however, they are severely limiting the crowd when people disable the feature. Which is BAD! Get the complaint now?
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You don't get it. As someone pointed out above, the system (crazy as this may sound to you) has no way of knowing whether you're in bed, or out late coming home from a party, or making a 2am 7-11 ice cream run. Therefore, it sends the alert out to everyone, so that it may catch the few who are out and may be able to help. Get why they send out alerts at night, now?

How often are you woken up by Amber alerts? Please, tell me. Maybe once every three months at most? Your one ****** night's sleep every three months could save a child from being raped and murdered... And yet you still whine.

Get my disgust now?
 
romeo.xk said:
If someone is awake, they will not need a sound so loud and enjoying to get their attention, and is someone is asleep, they are not gonna get up to go out and drive around and look for a "silver honda".

But if I am asleep, and I get the damn warning, at full blast, you can bet that will be the day I will turn that damn thing off... (I have a very hard time sleeping as it is).

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OFF TOPIC

Nice to see someone else from Westchester Co here... (White Plains).
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well you do know its not just amber alerts, you get government alerts too. i.e. i got a flash flood warning once. Id love to be woken up at 3am to be warned if a hurricane or tornado was heading my way, or hell an alien invasion lol.
 
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