It is 3 a.m. and your phone suddenly screams like a siren. A severe weather warning, an AMBER alert, or a test message fills the whole screen, and it plays at full volume even though the phone was on silent. These are emergency alerts, and they are not ordinary notifications. They come from the mobile network itself, not from an app, so muting an app or turning on Do Not Disturb does not stop them. The good news is that most of them can be switched off, one type at a time, without touching your other notifications.
What counts as an emergency alert
An emergency alert is a short broadcast message sent to every phone connected to a mobile tower in an affected area. It does not need mobile data or Wi-Fi, it is not a text message from a person, and deleting an app will not stop it. Because it is broadcast by area, you only receive alerts for where your phone currently is, and you will not receive one for a place you left hours ago.
The alert types you see depend on your country and carrier, but the usual set is:
| Alert type | What it is for | Can you turn it off? |
|---|---|---|
| AMBER Alerts | A missing child in your area | Yes, where offered |
| Emergency Alerts | Severe and extreme threats, including severe weather | Yes, where offered |
| Public Safety Alerts | Lower-urgency community safety warnings | Yes, where offered |
| Test Alerts | Scheduled tests of the alert system | Yes, where offered |
| National Alerts | A nationwide emergency in the United States | No, on any phone |
On iPhone: turn off Government Alerts
Apple puts all of these switches in one place, at the very bottom of the Notifications screen. You will need to scroll past your entire list of apps to reach it.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Notifications.
- Scroll all the way to the bottom, to Government Alerts.
- Turn off AMBER Alerts, Public Safety Alerts, or Emergency Alerts, as you prefer.
Tap the Emergency Alerts row itself for two extra controls. Local Awareness can improve how timely and accurate some alerts are, for example earthquake alerts in California, Oregon, and Washington. Always Play Sound, when on, plays Emergency Alerts even when the iPhone is in Silent mode — so turning it off is the middle-ground option if you want to keep the warning but let Silent mode silence it.
If you do not see a Government Alerts section at all, your carrier or region may not support these toggles. That is not a fault with the phone: Apple notes that government alerts depend on a supported SIM or eSIM from a supported service provider, and the exact list varies by country. In the United States, Apple documents National Alerts as receivable, while AMBER, Public Safety, and Emergency Alerts can be turned on or off.
On Pixel and most Android phones: Wireless emergency alerts
On Pixel and near-stock Android, the controls live under Safety and emergency. If the path below does not match your screen, use the Settings search bar and search for "wireless emergency alerts" — that shortcut works on most Android phones.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Safety and emergency.
- Tap Wireless emergency alerts.
- Turn off Allow alerts to stop all wireless emergency alerts at once, or turn off individual types only, such as Extreme threats, Severe threats, AMBER alerts, or State and local tests.
Some Android phones place the same screen under Settings, then Notifications, then Wireless emergency alerts instead. The switch names are the same either way: Allow alerts is the master switch, and the categories below it are the per-type switches.
On Samsung Galaxy: two routes to the same switches
Samsung's route moves between One UI versions, so if the first route does not match your phone, try the second, or search Settings for "emergency alerts".
Route one, on newer One UI versions:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Safety and emergency.
- Tap Wireless emergency alerts.
- Turn off Allow alerts, or turn off individual categories such as Extreme threats, Severe threats, AMBER alerts, or Public safety messages.
Route two, on older One UI versions:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Notifications.
- Tap Advanced settings.
- Tap Wireless emergency alerts.
- Turn off Allow alerts, or turn off the individual categories.
Samsung also offers alert preferences on the same screen, including vibration, an alert reminder repeat, and a spoken alert message. Changing those preferences does not turn an alert type off — it only changes how an alert you still receive behaves.
If you only want quiet, not off
Switching everything off is the bluntest option, and for many people it is more than they need. Try these gentler changes first.
On iPhone, keep Emergency Alerts on but turn off Always Play Sound, so the alert still appears on screen while Silent mode silences the sound. On Android, keep the alert types on but turn off vibration or the alert sound in the Wireless emergency alerts preferences, where your phone offers those options. Turning off test alerts alone also removes the scheduled test messages that wake people up, while leaving real severe-weather and AMBER alerts untouched.
Do Not Disturb is not a substitute for any of this. Emergency alerts are designed to break through Do Not Disturb and Silent mode by default, which is exactly why a scheduled quiet period, covered in our guide to scheduling Do Not Disturb, does not silence them. Change the alert setting itself, not the Focus schedule.
Emergency alerts on each phone at a glance
| Phone | Where the switches live | Master switch | Per-type switches |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone | Settings, then Notifications, then Government Alerts at the bottom | None — each type has its own switch | AMBER Alerts, Public Safety Alerts, Emergency Alerts |
| Pixel and stock Android | Settings, then Safety and emergency, then Wireless emergency alerts | Allow alerts | Extreme threats, Severe threats, AMBER alerts, State and local tests |
| Samsung Galaxy | Settings, then Safety and emergency, or Notifications, then Advanced settings, then Wireless emergency alerts | Allow alerts | Extreme threats, Severe threats, AMBER alerts, Public safety messages, State and local tests |
Menu names and exact wording vary by model, software version, carrier, and country on all three platforms, so if a step does not match your screen exactly, trust the switch name — Government Alerts on iPhone, Wireless emergency alerts on Android — and use Settings search to jump to it.
If alerts keep coming, or never arrive
- An alert still arrives after you turned its type off. Check whether it is a National alert, which cannot be turned off, or a different type from the one you switched off — a severe weather alert and a test alert are separate switches. Also check whether it came from a weather or news app rather than the system.
- You see no Government Alerts or Wireless emergency alerts section. Your carrier or region may not offer user switches for these alerts, or the feature may be named differently, such as Civil Protection alerts in some countries. Search Settings for "emergency alerts" before concluding the setting does not exist.
- Alerts never arrive at all. The phone must be switched on, connected to a mobile network in the broadcast area, and on a supported network generation — Samsung notes that a device needs to be on 4G or 5G. A phone in flight mode or switched off will not receive an alert until it reconnects in the area, and an outdated phone may need a software update.
- The setting changed after an update. A major software update can restore default notification settings on some phones. If alerts reappear after an update, reopen the alert setting and confirm your switches are still as you left them.
To turn alerts back on, reverse the same steps: on iPhone, go to Settings, then Notifications, scroll to Government Alerts, and turn the types back on. On Android, go to Wireless emergency alerts and turn Allow alerts, or the individual types, back on.
FAQ
Can I turn off all emergency alerts completely?
Mostly, but not entirely. You can turn off AMBER, Emergency, Public Safety, and test alerts on iPhone and Android where your carrier offers those switches. National alerts in the United States have no off switch on any phone, by design, so one category will always remain. If a National alert ever arrives, that is the phone behaving as intended, not a setting you missed.
Will Do Not Disturb or Silent mode stop emergency alerts?
No, not by themselves. Emergency alerts are designed to break through Do Not Disturb and Silent mode, with a loud siren-like sound and vibration, so that they are noticed even at night. The exception on iPhone is the Always Play Sound switch for Emergency Alerts: turning it off lets Silent mode silence that category's sound while the visual warning still appears.
Why did I get an alert when my phone was on silent?
Because that is how the system is built. The alert sound is separate from your ringtone and notification volume, and on iPhone it plays even in Silent mode unless Always Play Sound is turned off for Emergency Alerts. On Android, the alert sound and vibration are controlled in the Wireless emergency alerts preferences, not in the usual volume settings.
What is the difference between an AMBER alert and an Emergency alert?
An AMBER alert is specifically about a missing child, issued so the public in the area can help locate them. An Emergency alert is broader: it covers severe and extreme imminent threats such as severe weather, earthquakes, and other dangers to life. They are separate switches, so you can keep one and turn off the other.
Why do I not see a Government Alerts section on my iPhone?
Most likely because your carrier or country does not support user-controllable government alerts on that SIM. Apple ties the feature to a supported service provider, and the available list varies by region. If you change SIMs or travel abroad, check the bottom of the Notifications screen again, since the list can change with the carrier.
Do emergency alerts use mobile data or track my location?
No. They are broadcast from mobile towers to every phone in the area, and Samsung notes they do not reveal your location or collect personal data, and do not need mobile data or Wi-Fi. Your phone does need a mobile signal in the broadcast area to receive one, which is why a phone with no signal, in flight mode, or switched off misses it.
How do I stop test alerts but keep real alerts?
Turn off only the test category and leave the rest on. On iPhone, that is the Test Alerts switch under Government Alerts, where your carrier offers it. On Android, it is the State and local tests switch under Wireless emergency alerts. Real AMBER, severe threat, and public safety alerts will keep arriving as before.
For the official steps, see Turn government alerts on or off from Apple Support, Emergency Alerts from Samsung Support, and Manage Wireless Emergency Alerts from Verizon Support for Samsung Galaxy.