Australia's first nationwide test of the new AusAlert emergency warning system on Sunday produced mixed results, with many phones failing to receive the alert or produce the intended loud siren. The test, which was supposed to blast a noise and pop-up notification on most mobile devices at 2pm AEST, was designed to prepare the country for fires, floods, terrorist incidents or health emergencies.
Some users reported that their phones did not make any sound, despite receiving the notification. Others, like Canberra worker Indigo Miller, found the alert anti-climactic and quiet. Busker Dani Bainbridge was about to perform at Sydney's Hyde Park when the alert began pinging. The federal government had spent the past week informing the public about the test.
Federal Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said 94% of targeted cell towers had successfully broadcast the alert. She noted that failure to receive it could be due to being out of coverage, outdated software or incompatible devices. 'There is no one avenue of communication that is 100% successful,' she said, adding that AusAlert is 'more reliable than the current text-based technology.'
Before the test, the National Emergency Management Agency advised that 80% of Apple iPhones (model 11 and up running iOS 26.4 or later) and 16 million Android devices (running Android 12 or later) would receive the alert. However, reports emerged of iPhones 12, 15 Pro, and 17 Pro, as well as Samsung phones, not receiving notifications despite being on.
Domestic and family violence advocates had raised concerns about the risk of exposing 'safe phones'. AusAlert interim coordinator general Pat Hetherington advised those with hidden phones to switch them off for 24 hours. Businesses and individuals reacted in various ways: an Imax cinema in Sydney asked patrons to switch off phones for a screening of The Odyssey, while at the State Library of NSW, the siren woke a dozing student.
