Emergency settings & Amber Alert baloney on my phone!

[jack58]

Imagine my surprise and embarrassment while eating in a busy posh restaurant my S7 Edge which I had the sound off and on vibrate... suddenly lights up, vibrates and sounds a nerve-rattling alarm and stays on, with an alert 10 times louder than any other alert on the phone! I found out It’s all to announce an Amber Alert, and it can be extremely unsettling.

That is a bunch of BULL taking over my phone like that. I searched online to find out how to get rid of that, then I went into "Settings/Privacy and emergency" to change it. It shouldn't come pre-loaded like that. My wife's Apple iPhone didn't do that... it is an Option as it should be.

Before some of you flame me as being insensitive and all that, remember every flashing billboard every few miles over the freeways is showing the same message and all the news on TV is showing it... it does NOT need to be on my phone. In fact if that had gone off suddenly while driving on a busy freeway, it could cause an accident... it is that loud!

 

[ironass]

Must be an American thing. The U.K. model just has a voice message...

"I say old stick. That bounder and all round cad, Kim Jong-un, has fired his miniaturised nuclear missiles at dear old Blighty. We therefore strongly suggest wrapping your best tea service in layers of newspaper and storing it somewhere safe. TTFN"

 

[Clementine_3]

I opt out of the Amber Alerts right away when I get a new phone (or help set one up for family members).

I work from home so unless the kid ends up in my backyard I'm not going to be the one spotting them. When I was at my brother's house recently I turned them off on my nephew's iPhone, the alerts were terrorizing him. He truly went into panic mode when they sounded.

 

[jack58]

I opt out of the Amber Alerts right away when I get a new phone (or help set one up for family members).

I work from home so unless the kid ends up in my backyard I'm not going to be the one spotting them. When I was at my brother's house recently I turned them off on my nephew's iPhone, the alerts were terrorizing him. He truly went into panic mode when they sounded.

Imagine what would have happened if they were driving on a busy freeway and that came on...

BTW, the iPhone comes opted out, you have to set it yourself and that is the way it should be.

 

[Clementine_3]

BTW, the iPhone comes opted out, you have to set it yourself and that is the way it should be.

His is fairly new, not sure but think a 6 of some sort and it was set for the AA's. I know no one would have changed the settings because they were amazed that I did. haha. Umm, yeah. They don't know how to work the "oh-so-easy not complicated like Android" iPhone. Took me but a second to find it and turn it off. Anyway, I'm certain it was not they who changed it, maybe the Verizon folk did or it was set that way for starters. No matter, they are off now. The kid is 11 and was afraid his phone was going to go off for no reason.

 

[jason359]

Anyone know where to turn this off on an AT&T S7?

 

[jason359]

I found it, it is in the settings of the messaging app... It says "Presidential Alerts" cannot be switched off. Anyone know what that is for? Alien invasions?

 

[jack58]

I don't believe AT&T has these alerts built-in. In Verizon they are located under Settings/Privacy and emergency.

When I had the AT&T S5, the same thing happened while I was working. Built in back then too.

The Presidential Alerts is probably if there is war/invasion/terrorist, something like that. EMP wouldn't work as anything electrical would not work, cars, cell phones, computers, TV's, lights, heat... nothing

 

[mikedt]

Sure we had a lengthy thread before about Amber alerts in phones, the default being ON and how annoying they can be. I believe it's an acronym, something like "America Missing Broadcast Emergency Response"

Must be an American thing. The U.K. model just has a voice message...

"I say old stick. That bounder and all round cad, Kim Jong-un, has fired his miniaturised nuclear missiles at dear old Blighty. We therefore strongly suggest wrapping your best tea service in layers of newspaper and storing it somewhere safe. TTFN"

Our phones in China don't have Amber or Presidential alerts either. The Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea isn't going to be shooting off his nukes at his best friend the People's Republic of China is he?

 

[ironass]

The Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea isn't going to be shooting off his nukes at his best friend the People's Republic of China is he?

Maybe, not intentionally, however...

Kim Jong-un launches another FAILED missile test as desperate despot defies world leaders

 

[bcrichster]

Maybe, not intentionally, however...

Kim Jong-un launches another FAILED missile test as desperate despot defies world leaders

He certainly doesn't look like HE misses any meals.. [emoji23]

 

[Bodycount]

Always turn the amber alerts off. Too many times they came through at 3AM waking everyone up in the house.

Amber alert system said they would not do them past 11 PM anymore because people complained. The following week another one came through at 2 AM and that was it. No more. Had them off on all my phones.

 

[Bearsyzf]

I don't believe AT&T has these alerts built-in. In Verizon they are located under Settings/Privacy and emergency.

I have a Note 4 on at&t and the amber alert came on my phone I believe , it has gone off a couple of times already.

 

[svim]

I'm obviously in the minority here, unfortunately it will have to be a matter for a tragic incident to happen to a close family member of their own for a lot of people to get at least some sense of importance of AMBER alerts. I live just west of Chicago, an area with a very dense population and it's rare I get more than one every few months so I'm going to call bullsh*t that so many people are inferring they are getting them so frequently. For all the detractors, put your sense of self-entitlement aside, it's a really passive matter of civic responsibility.

 

[Clementine_3]

I actually think they are a good idea and an invaluable tool. I turned mine off because I'm never going to spot a missing kid, I'm pretty sure of that. I turn them off on family phones that belong to kids because all they do is get scared from the alert.

As I said earlier, I work from home so am not out and about during the day. We honestly don't get that many AA's around here, the ones we do get are from other areas and the probable abductors may have local ties or they may be traveling through. Again, I'm not going to spot that.

My local sister works in home care, she is out all the time and all over the place. She has hers turned on. My out of area family (adults) all have theirs turned on. It depends on the person's situation I guess. There should also be a way to tailor the alert...vibrate, regular text, something. Oh. I actually have 2 local police/town agencies that use Nixle, that's a good service. The AA's come over those now that I think about it, I get texts.

And. Trump. Ugh.

 

[MLSS]

My son went missing when he was little and thanks to amber alert he was found within hours.

 

[bIOforger]

lol wish i was in that restaurant to see your embarrassed face, the alarm for that function is nuts.

 

[svim]

You are not in the minority,

Duly noted but it's clear the majority of replies are from those who rationalize excuses why they prefer to be dismissive about AMBER or Presidential alerts. Odds are if a tragedy occurs in their own family they'll change their tune but for now being engaged in your own community even remotely on even an infrequent basis is too taxing for most.

 

[mikedt]

Duly noted but it's clear the majority of replies are from those who rationalize excuses why they prefer to be dismissive about AMBER or Presidential alerts. Odds are if a tragedy occurs in their own family they'll change their tune but for now being engaged in your own community even remotely on even an infrequent basis is too taxing for most.

Remember this forum has quite a large international membership. Myself I'm British, but living in China.

If you're in the US, and if Presidential Alert does come through to your phone. It's probably too late, the nukes from North Korea are already on their way. We do things the old fashioned way here. Loud wailing sirens if the shit does hit the fan. And they are tested as well.

 

[Maedra]

The alert is named Amber after Amber Hagerman who went missing at 9 and was killed. Her mother was instrumental in pushing for the alert system. As a parent whose child once went missing, any tool at all that may help find the child is vital.

 

[MLSS]

Remember this forum has quite a large international membership. Myself I'm British, but living in China.

If you're in the US, and if Presidential Alert does come through to your phone. It's probably too late, the nukes from North Korea are already on their way. We do things the old fashioned way here. Loud wailing sirens if the shit does hit the fan. And they are tested as well.

We got lots of Sirens in Southeastern Ohio lol
This was coal country at one time. We only have a couple small coal operations last but because we are so rural the county's utilize Sirens still for weather and other disasters.

 

[mikedt]

So basically Amber is a Cold War public alert system, that has been adapted for trying to find missing children. Amber Alert is one step below Red Alert.

CONELRAD lives on.
www.conelrad.com/index.php

 

[svim]

Remember this forum has quite a large international membership. Myself I'm British, but living in China.

Just my opinion but something like a missing child isn't just a matter limited for American parents to be upset about.

 

[bcrichster]

You are not in the minority, see my earlier post, as far as the rest are concerned keep in mind they are Trump supporters.

Bogus. [emoji12] Prove it.

 

[mikedt]

Just my opinion but something like a missing child isn't just a matter limited for American parents to be upset about.

I am as well, I'm actually a primary school teacher, and so if any children go missing, I would be very concerned indeed. But it seems to me is how it's implemented in the US, with "Presidential", "The Donald", or whatever, and every phone in the country going off. Perhaps any further discussion might be better done in P&CA.