Time and date confirmed for emergency ‘armageddon alert’ to be blasted through UK phones

The alert could be 'the sound that saves your life'

The message will appear on mobile phones, along with a sound and vibration that will stop automatically after 10 seconds, at 3pm on 23 April.

People will just need to tap 'OK' or swipe away the notification like any other, and are not required to do anything else.

If phones are on silent, the alert will still make a sound.

This is the first nationwide trial of the alert, to be used in "life-threatening emergencies", following pilots in East Suffolk and Reading.

The government said the alert would be utilised in situations, including extreme weather events like the wildfires and flooding seen last year, and only when there is an immediate threat to life.

The US, Canada and Japan already use a similar system.

Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden said the alert could one day "be the sound that saves your life".

It is hoped the test will help make people recognise when a real alert is sent.

Assistant chief constable Owen Weatherill, of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said emergency services would "listen carefully to public feedback" from the test to ensure any future alerts have "a positive impact".

People who need their phones to remain concealed have been told they can opt out of the system, or should turn the phone off ahead of 3pm on Sunday. This can be done in setting, under emergency alerts.

On iPhones and Android phones and tablets, people can search settings for "emergency alerts" and turn off "severe alerts" and "emergency alerts".

The government has advised drivers to not look at or touch their phone while at the wheel and should instead find somewhere "safe and legal" to do so before reading the message. "

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