Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Closest siren to me is 15 miles. Is that going to wake me up?
So your use case is tornados - right? But isn't what issued today a national alert system -- I'm not sure it applies to weather alerts, which are separate, and a user can turn off weather alerts. So I don't think today's alert applies to your situation, which is inherently local.
 
Again, an emergency alert is not a violation of your privacy. It's an alert lmao, the same you'd get over the radio or TV. Plus, you can turn off emergency alerts (but that's not a wise move since...you know...they're supposed to be alerts.)
I permanently turned off amber alerts the first time one woke me up at 3 AM. And generally they were very far away and really had nothing to do with my immediate surroundings.
 
Regardless, what emergency do I need some national override on my phone for? It seems leftover from the 1950s. Do you really think the gov't is going to provide you with useful information? Which you won't get from other sources anyway?
I can see it being useful for certain things at times when you can't get the information from other sources. A sudden natural disaster in your immediate area while you're sleeping seems like something you'd want to be alerted about so you can seek shelter or evacuate. Things like fires, tornados, volcanos, etc. It doesn't do you any good if other sources are reporting it if you're asleep with your phone on silent.
 
So your use case is tornados - right? But isn't what issued today a national alert system -- I'm not sure it applies to weather alerts, which are separate, and a user can turn off weather alerts. So I don't think today's alert applies to your situation, which is inherently local.
The message the alert sends says "The purpose is to maintain and improve alert and warning capabilities at the federal, state, local, tribal and territorial level" which means they can send alerts to the entire country or to specific locations. The test was done nationally, but that doesn't mean every message must be.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chuckeee
This also tells us that the mute switch is only a software switch and not a physical disconnection of the wire for the speaker power which also means that the camera works the same way, even though the little green light is not on apparently the camera can be accessed without our consent.
That's quite the reach. The mute switch has never been suggested to be a "physical disconnection" considering you've always be able to listen to videos or music while the phone is on mute and on the new iPhone it's no longer even a switch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ignatius345
Again, an emergency alert is not a violation of your privacy. It's an alert lmao, the same you'd get over the radio or TV. Plus, you can turn off emergency alerts (but that's not a wise move since...you know...they're supposed to be alerts.)
The idea that someone saying something you don't want to hear could violate the 4th amendment would overturn a ridiculous amount of precedent about the 1st amendment. It's comical.
 
Hey everyone I think I got a different alert.

dr%2Bevil.jpg
 
  • Haha
Reactions: dk001 and Chuckeee
So I guess these setting do nothing! The US government just proved they can override any setting on your device. Spyware!!!

View attachment 2288583
🙄

I know we are a bit spoiled in the U.S. because we don't deal with National Emergencies very often, but I for one am glad that an alert like this comes through no matter what. Test or not.

Whether it's a tornado touching down or an inbound missile, if I need to take immediate shelter or leave the area, I want to know ASAP.
 
My phone is my phone. I bought it; I pay for the cell service, and I have it for my use and no one else's. This is the government's way of saying my phone is theirs to use for their purposes. That crosses a boundary.

I turned my iPhone off, along with my Apple Watch, 20 minutes before the alert was supposed to be blasted and then turned it back on at the beginning of the next hour. As soon as the phone booted, the damned alarm sounded, so as quickly as I could, I held one of the volume buttons down along with the sleep/wake button and was able to turn the phone off.

Not everyone heard about this "test" in advance, so I'm sure it raised the blood pressure of a lot of people and scared them unnecessarily.
 
My phone is my phone. I bought it; I pay for the cell service, and I have it for my use and no one else's. This is the government's way of saying my phone is theirs to use for their purposes. That crosses a boundary.
The radio spectrum is a public resource that is regulated and managed by the government. The “cell service you paid for”, does NOT own the radio spectrum, they lease it from the government and that lease includes regulations and limitations imposed by the government.

You can set your phone and watch to avoid using the radio spectrum (e.g.; airplane mode). But if choose to use the radio spectrum, you are required to obey the limits and regulations imposed by the government. One of those restrictions is agreeing to receive government alert.

If you don’t like receiving alerts, then just stop using the RF spectrum. If you don’t like how the government regulates the RF spectrum, then get your representatives to change the RF spectrum regulations.
 
I knew it was coming and I still jumped about 10 feet in my chair when it hit my phone. LOL
My gf is very jumpy and she said she covered her phone with a sweater we hope she was driving and it still made her jump. o_O
 
I missed out on the alert. Apparently my test alert setting was set to OFF. Literally had no idea. So that's apparently why I missed out.

Darnit...I really wanted to be turned into a mindless zombie by the gov't. Better luck next time I guess.
 
And we will all become zombies. [Seriously, how can people believe this stuff?]

Conspiracy or not but the underlying logic is still very sound and undeniable: 5% of the Earth population cannot continue to consume 40% of the goods.

So whatever it takes to reformat the US, you can name it yourself in accordance to your preference: vaccines, zombies, gender studies etc.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: gusmula
The radio spectrum is a public resource that is regulated and managed by the government. The “cell service you paid for”, does NOT own the radio spectrum, they lease it from the government and that lease includes regulations and limitations imposed by the government.

You can set your phone and watch to avoid using the radio spectrum (e.g.; airplane mode). But if choose to use the radio spectrum, you are required to obey the limits and regulations imposed by the government. One of those restrictions is agreeing to receive government alert.

If you don’t like receiving alerts, then just stop using the RF spectrum. If you don’t like how the government regulates the RF spectrum, then get your representatives to change the RF spectrum regulations.
Pretty much. Just like you buying a video game isn't you OWNING the IP, it's you being granted an unlimited lease as long as you follow the terms and conditions. Me owning a copy of the video game doesn't give me the right to copy it, sell it, or modify it for commercial purposes. It's the same logic here. You can buy a phone and pay for your cell phone service, you don't own the cell towers or the network, not even the company you pay does (oftentimes).

I also find this whole notion silly. It's a 10-second alert done every 2-3 years to make sure it's working if/when a real emergency happens. If the government really wanted to track you down and control you, they have much easier and more effective ways of doing this.
 
This also tells us that the mute switch is only a software switch and not a physical disconnection of the wire for the speaker power which also means that the camera works the same way, even though the little green light is not on apparently the camera can be accessed without our consent.
We've known about the camera light for years...
 
  • Like
Reactions: JosephAW
My phone is my phone. I bought it; I pay for the cell service, and I have it for my use and no one else's. This is the government's way of saying my phone is theirs to use for their purposes. That crosses a boundary.
My car is my car. I bought it; I pay for fuel, and I have it for my use and no one else's. The other day I encountered a "traffic control" light that said I had to stop at an intersection. This is the government's way of saying my car is theirs to use for their purposes. That crosses a boundary.
 
I can see the need and use for a National Alert that goes to all like this and the occasional testing of it. Couple of things I was surprised about:
1. Alert went to devices without a SIM also (test phones just connected to WIFI)
2. It did not alert on my AW Ultra
3. One of my phones displayed in Spanish instead of English (one of the test phones)
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.