AT&T to Send Emergency Alerts to U.S. iPhone 4S/5 Owners [Update: iPhone 4 Users Also Included]

[Aldaris]

Or just be 'pro choice' and allow users to choose whether or not to receive this lone notification like all the others.

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While the hardware is yours, the software is licensed from Apple and you're using public radio spectrum in a federally overseen land. They can do what they please to the device.

Is this Russia? China? Where we are the government can do what they please to the device? I guess thy can choose who can breathe the air too.

 

[Intell]

Is this Russia? China? Where we are the government can do what they please to the device? I guess thy can choose who can breathe the air too.

All the US federal government has to do is label someone as a terrorist using undisclosed and likely fuzzy criteria, and they can proceed to do what ever they want.

 

[imahotshot]

I received this on my iPhone 4 the other day. This had been out already for other phones I thought.

 

[Aldaris]

The spectrum was around before the government was. I just think think it should be treated like any other notification let the users decide what to get notifications on. Regardless of the source or the material or content of the notification. What if we were forced to get notifications from Apple? Google? Local school district? What if every app couldn't be turned on or off; it's the choice. Responsibility and accountability, choose to participate in AMBER alerts, or weather/disaster alerts.

 

[danahn17]

The spectrum was around before the government was. I just think think it should be treated like any other notification let the users decide what to get notifications on. Regardless of the source or the material or content of the notification. What if we were forced to get notifications from Apple? Google? Local school district? What if every app couldn't be turned on or off; it's the choice. Responsibility and accountability, choose to participate in AMBER alerts, or weather/disaster alerts.

Sorry, that's a flimsy argument IMO. You're essentially saying since the spectrum existed before the government that we don't need government to tell us how to use it (ie in case of massive emergency). Well, in that case, food existed before the government (goodbye USDA). Fungi with medicinal properties existed before government (goodbye FDA). Nature existed before government (goodbye EPA). Laws (at least moral codes) existed before governments (goodbye Legislative and Judiciary branches).

I still don't see what the big deal is. You can turn off everything except the one thing that's never been used before...and if they ever use it, I doubt your first reaction will be like "#*&$ the government for sending me this message that I did not want." I think your fear that this is a slippery slope of forced notification is a misplaced one. There's a difference between the EAS messages and everything else you listed.

 

[Dopeyman]

Do you mean over cellular data? If so, my grandfathered AT&T 4S still tells me that I need to change data plans when I try to turn on that switch in settings. Do I need to update something?

Did you get this new emergency update? Try restarting your phone.

A few people said its been there for a while. Like I mentioned earlier, I just noticed it when I got this update.

 

[donutbagel]

Aw man, nothing for iPhone 4

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Hopefully a Cydia tweak will come out to remove/block this.

You can already disable it if you don't want to receive warnings for some reason...

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Or just be 'pro choice' and allow users to choose whether or not to receive this lone notification like all the others.

Why would you not want to receive a warning?

 

[Prospekt]

You can turn off the Presidential notification. On the top of your iPhone, there is a button (near the right side of the bezel). If you hold it in, there will be text on the screen that says "slide to power off." If you run your thumb (or finger, or any skin from your body) across, the Presidential alert will be shut down. You can do this before any nuclear holocaust or foreign invasion so you won't be bothered by those pesky Presidential warnings

 

[Aldaris]

Sorry, that's a flimsy argument IMO. You're essentially saying since the spectrum existed before the government that we don't need government to tell us how to use it (ie in case of massive emergency). Well, in that case, food existed before the government (goodbye USDA). Fungi with medicinal properties existed before government (goodbye FDA). Nature existed before government (goodbye EPA). Laws (at least moral codes) existed before governments (goodbye Legislative and Judiciary branches).

So we should all be sheep having glorious government take care of us because us pitiful mortals/citizens can't think for ourselves... Because if the USDA wasn't at round we'd all be eating rotten food and moldy bread.

 

[Intell]

So we should all be sheep having glorious government take care of us because us pitiful mortals/citizens can't think for ourselves... Because if the USDA wasn't at round we'd all be eating rotten food and moldy bread.

We're already sheep, we just don't know it.

 

[donutbagel]

So we should all be sheep having glorious government take care of us because us pitiful mortals/citizens can't think for ourselves... Because if the USDA wasn't at round we'd all be eating rotten food and moldy bread.

Please, just quit using the government-controlled Internet then.

 

[GLS]

The amount of tinfoil being used by some of these posters is no doubt staggering.

 

[Prospekt]

Please, just quit using the government-controlled Internet then.

And don't forget we should stop using the government funded roads

 

[MegamanX]

Public radio spectrum-

It is one thing to use the spectrum on public space like tv (when it was/is free) over the air, radio as it is free over the air. I pay my carrier for a service to use the cell space for communications at my own discretion, not to be forced to accept notifications from unwanted sources.

I suppose if the government wants to pay for all those services or make it free to everyone then they could force notifications through.

The point here really is the choice to accept or reject the notification. Being able to turn them on or off at the users discretion.

sorry but the spectrum is public air ways. It is controlled by the government. Your phone call and signals from that end up going threw the public air ways and filter threw MY house.

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I don't think show time or HBO has been interrupted. The major networks have but nick jr and the like don't.

Again I'm not against it being there, as much as I'm against the lack of the option.

HBO and showtime do not use any public airways. They never go over those spectrum. They go over cable lines so that argument of your is a fail.

 

[donutbagel]

The Feds are already recording and watching us through the camera anyways, send away.

Not sure if you're joking, but recording video through the camera constantly would be a massive battery and data hog.

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... I agree on 'public' communication systems, like tv radio etc. The president doesn't need to be buzzing in my pants. But seeing your avatar anything I say about your dear leader will cause a roll eyes comment.

I don't understand what's so offensive about the government issuing disaster warnings. If that one rare buzz that goes off from a warning is annoying you, I don't want to see how you react when spammers call you.

 

[PsyOpWarlord]

HBO and showtime do not use any public airways. They never go over those spectrum. They go over cable lines so that argument of your is a fail.

Chances are it does. It's broadcasted to your local cable provider via satellite.

 

[thelatinist]

So we should all be sheep having glorious government take care of us because us pitiful mortals/citizens can't think for ourselves... Because if the USDA wasn't at round we'd all be eating rotten food and moldy bread.

Read your history. The USDA was given the power to inspect meat because of the appalling conditions in meat processing plants (as dramatized in Upton Sinclair's 1905 novel The Jungle, which were resulting in diseased and contaminated meat in the food supply. The same goes for eggs, later. Without the vigilance of the USDA and FDA, the outbreaks of food-borne illnesses we hear about in the news would absolutely become commonplace as manufacturers took shortcuts and endangered our health. The same goes for the milk supply, which used to kill thousands or tens of thousand of children annually before regulation (in this case largely on the state level) required safe handling, refridgeration, and inspections. The idea that such an industry can be self-policing or that we as consumer have the knowledge and skills to ensure the safety of the food supply for ourselves is ludicrous.

 

[Rajani Isa]

I've gotten local AMBER alerts on my phone before while I was at work, it was weird hearing random phones in the store all making the same noise, if a bit confusing.

That's when I learned that lottery machines show them at the same time.

The Amber alert system was probably the fastest yet well done roll out of a government system I've ever seen.

For all intents and purposes, the presidential alerts is practically turned off. The presidential alert via EAS (or its predecessors) has never been used before. That includes events like Kennedy's assassination and 9/11... If the alert wasn't used for those events, think about just how major the precipitating event has to be.

Source: EAS on Wikipedia.

Considering the precedents set in NOT using it (they might of used it on 9/11 IF they had known the first plane wasn't a fluke. But it wasn't until around the second hit they knew, IIRC) any President who uses it will have that usage examined very heavily. At this point, it ever being used would freak me out prior to even reading the message.

 

[Rajani Isa]

Sending a text message is hardly intrusive, and is the natural evolution of existing emergency alert systems.

Besides, in 60 years of operation, no president has ever activated the national EAS -- despite 9/11, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and countless other disasters and incidents.

I _REALLY_ do _NOT_ want this. The problem is what they consider an issue either I don't want to know about or I've already taken care of. I don't want to be told about every amber alert, every tornado warning, every snow storm, etc. This is totally unnecessary and intrusive. It interferes with dealing with real stuff. It is also useless. This sort of thing should be optional. One should be able to opt-out.

We should also be able to opt out of the political announcements. Too bad Congress gave themselves an exemption on the Do-Not-Call list.

While I'll agree with you on the Do Not Call list issue, I'll disagree with pretty much the rest of your post for two reasons:

A missing child, or a natural disaster, isn't "unreal stuff" as your context implies. Just ask Kaine Horman, or people who live in San Francisco or "Tornado Alley".

The two types of alerts you are likely to get, are indeed optional.

 

[Huracan]

Yes, I also got an Amber alert earlier. My guess is that this update is actually not to enable the service, but to allow people to opt out from the alerts that can be disabled. Personally I am leaving both of them on.

I've gotten local AMBER alerts on my phone before while I was at work, it was weird hearing random phones in the store all making the same noise, if a bit confusing.

That's when I learned that lottery machines show them at the same time.

 

[thelatinist]

Did you get this new emergency update? Try restarting your phone.

A few people said its been there for a while. Like I mentioned earlier, I just noticed it when I got this update.

I have received the update, so I have the latest Carrier software, version 14.1. Just restarted my phone, too: no dice.

 

[testcard]

Well, isn't there a national government where you live? Hasn't your government set up a similar emergency notification system?

Here in the UK I believe the system of nationwide radio and TV alerts and 4 minute warning sirens was scrapped after the Cold War ended. Now we would probably have to rely on the BBC to alert us to a national emergency.

 

[0098386]

That sounds like a great system! It should be built into all phones to maximise coverage, even as a text message for "dumbphones".

 

[pooleman]

Aw man, nothing for iPhone 4

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You can already disable it if you don't want to receive warnings for some reason...

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Why would you not want to receive a warning?

But you can't disable the presidential alerts. That's what I already noted, and that what I'm hoping a tweak will be able to block. If the gob'ment can force information onto your phone how do we know they aren't also taking information?

 

[nozebleed]

They're probably not watching you. You're just not that interesting.

until you need a service done with obamacare, and they go back and see that you werent living your life according to their standards, and you get denied and handed a pill