Public emergency alerts by text in the UK

[Jasmine]

Sounded rather ominous on Mrs P's phone. American voice message thobut 

In Wales the message was in Welsh and English. The voice reader totally mangled the Welsh. Unintelligible gibberish

[nicknack]

I was at orchestra rehearsal. We stopped just before 3 to see what would happen. Lots of beeping at different times. Mine (Vodafone) was one of the last. Wife at home, also on Vodafone, didn't get one at all.

[L CC]

Mr Smith is worth saving, me, not so much. (EE/3)

[cycleman]

Nothing on my Samsung or the wife's on Vodafone. We are all going to die 

[Mr Larrington]

I didn’t get one.  Probably because I turned them off.

[Jurek]

I didn’t get one.  Probably because I turned them off.

This.

[Mr Larrington]

Phew… by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

[phantasmagoriana]

I was at orchestra rehearsal. We stopped just before 3 to see what would happen.

Similarly, I was at a chamber music session and we also stopped. One person got a voice message, one didn't get anything, and the rest got alerts at not quite the same time. Mine was noticeably later than the others (minutes, not seconds).

[Wowbagger]

Mine arrived 17 minutes late and in Welsh.

[Jaded]

Apparently Three subscribers didn't receive the alert.

Ah well, that's good.

As long as it wasn't tens of thousands!

[yorkie]

It served as a starting call for the Scouts' St George's Day parade.

I just thought it was jolly decent of the government to send me a reminder to finish work and go home! 

The message arrived bang on 3pm on my phone and that of my colleague, much to the delight of the group of children he was trying to coach!

[Socks]

Didn't get the alert.  My phone was switched on.  Although I suppose as it was a test, identifying glitches would be the reason for a test.  And in any case the main purpose is to alert people that a Tory MP has accidentally told the truth, so unlikely to be needed in the near future.

[Feanor]

I'm with 3, and did get the alert.

But I'll note that 3 has the poorest coverage of all the networks around these parts.
They set up a 3G network way back when 3G was new, mostly focussed on urban areas with poor coverage in more rural areas.
They have rolled out 4G somewhat later.  The 4G coverage is worse.
I often find my phone has dropped off 4G back to lesser Gs.

So I wonder if the issue with 3 is down to Shit 4G Coverage and lots of subscribers being on degraded Gs?
And then when they come into range of 4G they get the delayed message?

Or something like that.

[Polar Bear]

I have two android 5g smartphones of different brands.  Complicated to explain, but ...

The Samsung phone wailed at me and stuck a message on the screen.

The Google phone stayed quiet and dark.

Both are on GiffGaff.

Both were with me on the desk in the room designated as the office.

[Beardy]

I was upstairs when I became a lert. Dr Beardy and her sister were both downstairs. Dr Jane (Dr Beardy’s Sister) became alerted a minute or two after Dr Beardy. Dr J is on EE, we are on PlusNet mobile, which is just rebadged EE.

From reading these messages, it would seem that there are a few glitches to be worked out yet.

[Pingu]

How are people getting voice messages with American acents?

It started when the ringing stopped. Mrs P was in the kitchen at the time, I was in the living room where she'd left her phone and I just let it ring out.

I'm now wondering if Mrs P's phone read out the text that appeared on the screen with the alert. That would maybe explain the American accent.

[FifeingEejit]

My one Plus shit phone read out the alert in an American voice, dad's iphone did not

Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk

[Feanor]

How are people getting voice messages with American acents?

It started when the ringing stopped. Mrs P was in the kitchen at the time, I was in the living room where she'd left her phone and I just let it ring out.

I'm now wondering if Mrs P's phone read out the text that appeared on the screen with the alert. That would maybe explain the American accent.

That sounds like quite a likely explanation.
Some phones might to a text-to-speech translation, others not.
The transmission itself does not contain any voice.

That would also go some way to explaining Basil's Mangled Welsh pronunciation report.

[Basil]

That would also go some way to explaining Basil's Mangled Welsh pronunciation report.

Wasn't me. I didn't get an alert.
Jasmine, I think.

[rr]

Our family's four Android phones are all on smarty (cheaper and better version of 3) three of us didn't get it, mini was out in the car using android auto and was scared half to death by loud wailing and an American voice shouting at her.

Sent from my motorola edge 20 using Tapatalk

[Kim]

WTF with an American voice for the message?

I assume it's just your OS's default text-to-speech voice.  The messages themselves are pure text, but presumably someone thought it was a good idea for the phone to read it out (which is the sort of accessibility you want in an emergency).

[andrew_s]

Three out of 5 phones on the pub table went off, not including mine.

[MattH]

My Samsung Android has a setting under "Settings->Notifications->Advanced Settings->Emergency Alerts->filing cabinet in a locked room behind beware of leopard sign" to "Use text-to-speech to speak emergency alert messages". It is defaulted off on mine, so yes, it would use the built in text talker.

[PaulF]

Three out of 5 phones on the pub table went off, not including mine.

I think means you’re destined for the “B Ark”

[Woofage]

Apparently Three subscribers didn't receive the alert.

Ah well, that's good.

As long as it wasn't tens of thousands!

The Truly Terrible Jokes thread is over there ->