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

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 emergency warning system test needed?

Hetherington said AusAlert came from a recommendation of the royal commission into the 2019-20 black summer bushfires, which called for a nationally consistent warning system.

“The existing system is based on standard SMS capability, and throughout a series of emergencies and disasters, that system has had real latency in terms of people receiving the messages,” he said.

“You [could] get network congestion, text messages may not come through in a timely way … or come through at all, dependent upon who your provider is.”

Kristy McBain, the federal emergency management minister whose electorate of Eden-Monaro was hit by the black summer bushfires, said some people in her area didn’t receive emergency text alerts during that disaster because their phone provider was unavailable.

The new system allows nationwide alerts as well as localised “geofenced” alerts such as for floods or even warnings to boil water in emergency situations.

Emergency services minister Kristy McBain says the AusAlert is ‘far superior’ to current warning systems. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

McBain said AusAlert was a “far superior” system and would reach “more people in a more timely manner” than current warning systems used by state governments. Existing systems will still be used in future, with McBain describing AusAlert as “another tool in the toolkit”.

Will every phone ring or make a sound at 2pm AEST?

Essentially, yes. Hetherington said phones made after 2019 should receive the alert, but some older phones may not.

The alert will come through on all compatible devices even if you are on a call, or if the phone is on silent. Nema has advice that about 80% of Apple iPhones will ring, and some 16m Android devices.

“The only way to not receive a critical alert is to turn your mobile device off or switch it to ‘airplane mode’,” Nema advised.

The agency said the alert will go to:

• iPhone models 11 and up running iOS 26.4 or later.

• Apple Watch models SE2, SE3, Series 6 and up running watchOS 26.4 or later.

• Android devices running Android 12 or later.

Older Androids, or those not using iOS or Android, “might still receive AusAlerts”, Nema said, but Apple iPads will not.

Hetherington and Nema’s deputy coordinator general, Katarina Carroll, said the agency had engaged with “thousands” of groups including schools, businesses and even funeral associations to warn of the alert test.

They said it was important to run the test during an “ordinary” time of day, so people knew what to expect in future.

But noting some people may find it inconvenient to have a loud siren ring alert, such as during an important meeting or a funeral, Hetherington and Carroll said “if you have your phone off an hour before and an hour after [2pm AEST], we’re confident you won’t receive that message”.

Other countries around the world have had problems in testing or using such systems, with alerts delayed or not arriving at all. Nema said it had “learned a lot” from tests around the world and it was well prepared for Monday.

What about ‘safe phones’ for those experience domestic and family violence?

Domestic and family violence advocates have raised concerns about the risk of the alert exposing “safe phones”, or devices kept hidden for safety reasons by those experiencing violence.

Nema said the agency had engaged with family violence experts about the test, including assisting advocates to disseminate safety information, and posting a safety guide on its website.

Hetherington said phones switched off or on airplane mode would not receive the alert, and said: “The message for safe phones and hidden phones is very much [to switch off for] a 24 hour period.”

Carroll added: “The advice is if there’s anything that’s happening [during the test], have it off for an hour or so. But certainly for domestic and family violence, there’s that broader advice for that extension of time [24 hours].”

Groups such as the Women’s Safety Commissioner, DV Connect and the Council of Single Mothers and their Children have issued safety advisories to this effect.

What do I have to do when I receive the AusAlert?

Nothing at all. The test requires no action.

However, Hetherington encouraged Australians to answer a survey or give feedback after the test to help Nema assess the success of the trial and any changes that may be needed.

“People should read the message. But it is a test that doesn’t require people to do anything,” he said.

“We’re obviously interested in hearing if people haven’t received the message.”

When will AusAlert be used for real?

Nema suggests the warnings could be used for legitimate hazards such as bushfires, floods, cyclones and earthquakes; serious public safety issues or terrorism; biosecurity incidents; and major public health incidents.

States and territories will be able to send alerts.

“I would expect some states to use it quite a lot, particularly where you want information to get out almost in real time,” Hetherington said.