Mobile phone ‘Armageddon alert’ date set: When the public warning system siren will go off in Leeds

As part of a test of a new public warning system by the government and emergency services in the coming weeks, millions of people across the UK, including those in Leeds, will receive a loud siren-like ‘armageddon alert’ from their mobile phone. The trial is scheduled for the evening of April 23.

The alarm is a mechanism by which the government and emergency services could immediately issue a warning to the public in the event of an imminent threat to life. In the event of an emergency, such as flooding or wildfires, users will be unable to access their phones until they have acknowledged the message.

The system is currently in the testing phase but is expected to launch across the UK in "early 2023," as stated in the Government’s National Resilience Framework, which was published in December.

When the alarm went off in Reading in 2021, many residents were taken aback. Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden told the BBC that warnings would be "targeted," and that he hoped people would never hear the alert again after the test.

The programme has bipartisan support, but the government has been chastised for not implementing it quickly enough. Fleur Anderson, Labour’s shadow paymaster general, said: "While Britain faces increasing global threats, not least from Putin’s Russia, this saga has dragged on far too long and left our country lagging far behind on keeping the public safe.”

The government has stated no data will be collected by the system and that the alert is completely free to receive. People can also opt out receiving the alert by toggling severe and extreme emergency alerts in your phone’s settings.

What is an armageddon alert?

On April 23, the government will conduct a test of the so-called ‘armageddon alert’ system, which is designed to warn people of floods, extreme weather, fires, and other life-threatening dangers.

The trial will involve sending a test alert to every smartphone in the nation, causing them to emit a loud siren sound, vibrate, and display a message informing users of the test.

According to the government, the trial alert will simply inform recipients that it is a test and that no action is required. It is understood it will be impossible to reply to the messages, and that the only required action will be to click "OK" to clear the message from the phone screen.