Adam Durbin
Live reporter

Image source, EPA

That wraps up the UK government's second test of its national emergency alert system.

While it seems to have gone smoothly for most, some people did experience problems with the test. The BBC's science reporter Esme Stallard and other users received a garbled message with her alert.

But a government spokesperson says the alert message "was broadcast correctly and mobile operators have confirmed that the test ran as expected", adding there is no evidence of widespread errors.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says tens of millions of phones successfully sounded, external across the country, adding: "This is an important step in keeping people safe during national emergencies."

Many of you who contacted us were impressed by getting the alert in some fairly isolated areas like Land's End, with one reader even getting it a couple thousand feet into the during his flying lesson in Kent.

But some were confused by the alert as it punctured a place of traditional silence like the British Library, woke up their snoozing pets - or were shocked by the sheer volume through their hearing aids.

We'll be ending our coverage here but you can read more about sporting events that were interrupted by the alarm, and passengers on the tube who received the alert, in our story.

Thank you for joining us.

Julian in Lancashire has got in touch to tell us his wife, who uses hearing aids, had a less-than pleasant experience of receiving the alert.

"You can't believe the effect this alarm had on people wearing Bluetooth hearing aids. My wife literally ripped her hearing aids out and was incredibly distressed by sound. A siren alarm at full level is horrid and has left a real worry," he says.

Matt in Powys says his wife got the alert but he did not. "I’ll have to stick by her now for the rest of my life!" he jokes.

And one of our colleagues' cats, Bandit, also did not appear to care of the sound. You can watch his confusion below.

The owners of non-UK phones had a bit of a shock in the BA lounge when the alert went off, according to James at Heathrow airport. "Clearly no announcement was given to warn them!" he tells us.

Scott says he was a bit surprised during his flying lesson when his phone starting vibrating in his pocket at 2,000 ft (610 metres) above Kent.

But there was no excuse for anyone at the England v South Africa cricket match in Southampton being caught unawares, where Conor Gilmore tells us there were warnings on the big screen, and stadium announcements leading up to the alert.

Image source, Conor Gilmore

The government has just issued a response to reports of some devices receiving jumbled up messages, saying "we have not identified any widespread issue with incorrect messages".

A spokesperson says the alert message "was broadcast correctly and mobile operators have confirmed that the test ran as expected".

As we've reported, our colleague and a reader have contacted us to say the received a garbled message, but the government says "where a message may have appeared incorrectly, this is likely due to issues with individual mobile handsets".

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Rosemary

We've been asking you to get in touch to share where you were when the alert went off.

Rosemary messages in to say that the alert came through "loud and clear" down at the far western tip of Cornwall in Land's End.

Marcia is in a similarly isolated spot, Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel, and says it was "amazing" the alarm went off, as she had little-to-no signal at the time.

Hayden in Cardiff says his message included a link to a Welsh translation of the message, rather than the full message being in Welsh. He speculates the change was due to the 2023 language error.

Will in London had a similar issue to our colleague Esme Stallard, in that his phone sounded but most of the text was a garbled series of letters and characters rather than the full alert.

But James in Stowmarket says "the national wide alarm at 3pm didn't disturb my cream tea!"

Image source, Will in Wandsworth

Our colleagues in the studio were mid-broadcast when the test alert rang a short time ago.

In a similar way to us here in the newsroom, the alert didn't ring on all phones at the same time, with some experiencing a slight delay.

Image source, PA Media

The emergency alert was a "success," says the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones - despite some reports of delays and garbled messages.

Jones posts on X, external that "tens of millions of phones successfully" received the message.

As we reported earlier, one BBC journalist said her message was distorted and unclear.

"The test took just seconds, but will help the government keep the country safe 24 hours a day, 365 days a year," Jones says.

While a library is meant to be a space of silence, that went out the window when the emergency alert rang through the British Library.

Most people were unfazed, but one person can be heard saying: "Shush!"

After some mild confusion due to the short delay in the emergency alert, it seems there may be a few more issues with the government's second attempt at testing the system.

The BBC's Climate and Science reporter Esme Stallard says she received a garbled message with her alert.

Image source, BBC / Esme Stallard

We've just heard from a woman named Cherry, who is at the Women's Rugby World Cup match between Ireland and New Zealand at Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium.

The game was paused by the referee for the alert, she says, hurting New Zealand's "momentum" as they were waiting for a scrum a few metres from the try line.

Ireland then won the scrum and it was a missed opportunity to score for the Black Ferns, but Cherry says they clearly weren't too affected as they went on to score within a minute.

Image source, Cherry

Did you receive the emergency alert on your phone today?

Or maybe the alert did not pop up on your phone? Whatever your experience - we want to hear from you.

You can get in touch here:

• Email: bbcyourvoice@bbc.co.uk, external 
• WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803 , external 
• Upload your pictures and video  

Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy 

In some cases a selection of your comments and questions will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published.  

The nationwide test of the emergency alert has just sounded.

After a brief few moments of confusion here in the BBC newsroom where no one heard anything at all, the vast majority of people in our office in central London have now received the alerts.

Hopefully you all did too.

Image source, Getty Images

T-minus two minutes and counting until the emergency alert is due to sound on millions of mobile phones across the UK - remember it is just a test and there is nothing wrong.

We'll let you know if there are any issues with our devices in the newsroom - and get in touch with us if you have any problems yourself.

The government says the emergency test alert has been designed with accessibility in mind, as deaf and blind people will be able to feel and hear it as well.

If you have a vision or hearing impairment, "audio and attention signals" will inform you of the emergency alert if accessibility notifications are turned on, on your mobile device or tablet.

The government has prepared general advice, external for disabled people and their carers during emergencies.

Image source, Getty Images

The simple answer is: Do not read or respond to the emergency alert if you're driving.

It’s illegal to use a hand-held device while driving or riding. Before you read the alert, find somewhere safe and legal to stop.

If you can't stop and there is no one in the car to read the message, listen to news on live radio to find out about the emergency, the government website has advised.

Image source, Getty Images

The short answer is, no.

This is because the system works by UK phone masts broadcasting an alert, which is received by all compatible 4G and 5G phones in range of it.

So if you have taken your phone to another country with their own mobile networks, then it cannot receive the alert on your phone.

According to the government, other reasons your device will not get an alert are:

• It's turned off
• Connected to a 2G or 3G network
• On wifi only
• Not compatible because of its software, so check you have the latest versions of Android, iOS or other operating system installed
• You may also not get one if your phone is in airplane mode

Where will you be at 15:00 BST? Do you have questions about the emergency alert test?

You can get in touch here:

• Email: bbcyourvoice@bbc.co.uk, external 
• WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803 , external 
• Upload your pictures and video  

Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy 

In some cases a selection of your comments and questions will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published.  

Image source, Getty Images

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden is urging people to "keep their cool" when the alert system is tested at 15:00 BST.

McFadden, who until Friday's government re-shuffle served as a senior Cabinet Office minister, says: "I know Brits will keep their cool when phones across the UK make a siren-like noise.

"It's important to remember this is only a test, just like the fire drills we all do in our schools and workplaces."

He explains that the government is "carrying out the test to make sure the system works well when we need it most" and will work with mobile network operators to "assess performance" afterwards.

"The test takes just 10 seconds, but it helps us keep the country safe 24 hours a day, 365 days a year," he adds.

Image source, PA Media

Millions of people will receive a test emergency alert at 15:00 BST.

The text of the message will read:

"This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a UK government service that will warn you if there's a life-threatening emergency nearby.

"You do not need to take any action. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.

"Find simple and effective advice on how to prepare for emergencies at gov.uk/prepare, external.

"Visit gov.uk/alerts, external for more information or to view this message in Welsh. Ewch i gov.uk/alerts am ragor o wybodaeth neu i weld y neges hon yn y Gymraeg."

Image source, PA Media

Emergency alerts are designed for situations where there is an imminent danger to life, such as during extreme weather events or a terror attack.

The government says the alert system plays "a critical role in making sure that we are ready for all kinds of future emergencies".

Mobile phone masts are used to send targeted information to users in a particular area.

The system was used to contact around 4.5 million phones in Scotland and Northern Ireland during Storm Eowyn in January 2025, and around three million in England and Wales during Storm Darragh the previous month.

It was also used to help co-ordinate the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents in Plymouth in February 2024 when an unexploded 500kg World War Two bomb was carefully removed and taken out to sea to be detonated.