Amid the escalation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, it is imperative to have real-time alerts on your phones. This may provide you with sufficient time to act quickly and stay safe. Both Android and iPhones have internal mechanisms to receive emergency alerts from the government and authorised agencies. These warnings are free of cost and are received directly on your phone. They usually contain urgent messages from the government to warn the public about serious threats like earthquakes, floods, terrorist attacks or national security conditions. These alerts use a special network channel, allowing them to reach your phone even when networks are congested.
However, in case your emergency alerts are disabled on your device, you may miss valuable updates. So, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to enable emergency alerts on Android and iPhone devices:
For Android users
- Open the Settings app
- Tap on “Safety and Emergency” or try searching “Emergency alerts” in the Settings search bar
- Select “Wireless emergency alerts”
- Activate all the available alert options
Please note, the actual names might vary on phones such as Samsung, Xiaomi, or OnePlus. The “Wireless emergency alerts” may also appear under Advanced, More settings, or Cell broadcast, depending on your phone model.
For iPhone users
- Open the Settings app and go to Notifications
- Scroll to the bottom and find Government Alerts
- Toggle on Test Alerts to receive critical updates
Keeping these alerts active could make all the difference in an emergency, especially amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan.
India-Pak conflict
India on Wednesday, under the codename ‘Operation Sindoor’, unleashed 24 missiles in 25 minutes on nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people. On the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, it foiled Pakistan’s attempt to engage a number of military targets across 15 cities in northern and western India using drones and missiles.
Also Read | 32 Airports Shut for Civilian Flights Till May 15: Aviation Regulator
On the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, Pakistan’s armed forces launched multiple attacks using drones and other munitions along the entire western border, which were “effectively repulsed”, the Indian Army said.
The tension between the two countries has affected air travel in India, with 32 airports being closed for civilian flight operations till May 15. Meanwhile, Pakistan has closed its airspace to all traffic, hours after India accused it of using civilian aircraft as shields amid drone attacks.
