Opting Out of Emergency Alerts

Amber Alert Sign. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Amber Alert Sign. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

 

By: Jennifer Schuler

Technical Writer

Likely, if you own a cell phone, you have received one by now and perhaps even one that has awakened you in the wee hours of morning – an “Amber Alert.” Amber Alerts are urgent bulletins about abductions issued by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children along with public safety officials.

These free alerts, along with text messages about extreme weather, threatening situations and presidential announcements of national emergencies, are part of the Wireless Emergency Alerts System (www.fema.gov/wireless-emergency-alerts) that began to operate fully in 2012.

Last summer, the New York Times ran an article by J.D. Biersdorfer (published July 22, 2013) which informed cell phone users how to turn off the “Amber Alerts” on their phones and answered the question, can other government messages be turned off as well?

As we approach the summer months when people are out and about more, and the weather can be prone to extremes in some regions of the country, whether or not you receive these alerts is something to consider. Crowded places and events and harsh weather are just two examples that can lead to emergency conditions. Are these situations something you would want to know about in time to respond?

Amber Alerts can keep us posted, and warn us about many kinds of potentially devastating events ahead of time. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Amber Alerts can keep us posted, and warn us about many kinds of potentially devastating events ahead of time. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

According to the article, the Federal Emergency Management Agency says people can opt out of Amber Alerts and alerts for “imminent threats” like serious weather. Alerts issued by the president, however, cannot be turned off, as mandated by Congress.

From Biersdorfer’s article, below are steps to turn off alerts on your device.

Turn Off Alerts on an iPhone:

1) Tap open the Settings icon.

2) Tap Notifications and flick down the screen to Government Alerts, where Amber and Emergency alerts can be turned off or on.

Turn Off Alerts on Samsung’s new Galaxy S4:

1) Open the Messaging app.

2) Press the Menu button and then Settings.

3) From there, tap Emergency Alerts to get to the screen where you can turn off Amber and weather notifications.

Turn Off Alerts from Other Types of Phones:

1) Unsubscribe by addressing a text message to the short code 26237 with the keyword CANCEL in the message body.

2) Sending END, QUIT, STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE should work as well.

Turn Off Alerts on Other Android Phones:

These steps vary by system version and wireless company, so check with the carrier for specific instructions.

 

The purpose of these emergency warning services such as Amber Alerts, and other emergency warnings, are to help save lives. Given that is their sole intent, please consider all the factors before turning them off either temporarily or permanently. For additional information about the Wireless Emergency Alerts system, visit the Federal Communications Commission website at:

www.fcc.gov/guides/wireless-emergency-alerts-wea .