AusAlert test will blast emergency warning siren over most phones in Australia on Monday. Here’s what to know

The AusAlert test message will be sent nationally to mobile phones and some smartphones and tablets at 2pm AEST on Monday 27 July. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP View image in fullscreen The AusAlert test message will be sent nationally to mobile phones and some smartphones and tablets at 2pm AEST on Monday 27 July. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP Explainer AusAlert test will blast emergency warning siren over most phones in Australia on Monday. Here’s what to know National emergency test alert will be sent to all mobile devices on 27 July, with domestic violence advocates advising how to turn off safe phones Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Virtually every phone in the country will blare an emergency siren at 2pm AEST on Monday 27 July, as part of the first Australia-wide test of a new national warning system called AusAlert. Most phones, and some smartwatches and tablets, will receive a pop-up notification and an alert sound that cannot be silenced – even if your device is on “do not disturb” or silent mode. Trapped by floods and fearing death in the heat: the Australians taking legal action over the climate crisis Read more The warning system will be deployed to prepare Australians for fires, floods, terrorist incidents or health emergencies – but it has raised questions about regional access and the risk it poses to women and children experiencing domestic and family violence . What is AusAlert? AusAlert is Australia’s new national warning system, which will send emergency messages to mobile devices during local and widespread disasters. Authorities currently use SMS texts to alert people about safety information. The new system will instead send a mass broadcast via mobile phone towers, with an alert popping up on devices, similar to a phone notification. It will launch nationally in October, months after the national test. What will happen during the national test? “On Monday 27 July 2026, a test alert will be sent to all mobile devices in Australia. This includes most phones, and some smart watches and tablets,” the National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) advises. Video of the AusAlert test Users will hear a siren and see a pop-up notification on their phone, which will look different depending on the device, but with text including “TEST MESSAGE” and “NO ACTION IS REQUIRED”. “What people should expect to hear is a siren that will last for about 10 seconds,” Pat Hetherington, the interim coordinator general at Nema, told Guardian Australia. He said it would be “loud enough to get people’s attention”, but quieter than a fire alarm. “It will be noticeable, but it won’t won’t be too over the top.” What time is the AusAlert test around Australia? There have been local tests, but Monday will be the first nationwide test, occurring at 2pm AEST, which is: 2pm for New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT, Queensland and Tasmania. 1.30pm in the Northern Territory and South Australia. 12pm in Western Australia. Why is the emergenc