Have we received the IT-Alert? Let’s see what it is for and how to activate or deactivate the emergency notification on a smartphone
Tests were conducted in all Italian regions alert tests provided via IT-Alertsent via message on the mobile phone, visible even with the screen locked and accompanied by a high volume sound and the vocal reading of the message.
This warning system it could prove useful in the event of a natural disaster but, before introducing it, it was decided to test it first with a test message sent to all phones in the GSM signal coverage area (also causing us to be shocked).
In the following guide we will show you cos’è IT-Alertwhen an emergency alarm could be triggered, what to do in the event of an alert and how to make sure you always receive the message on your mobile phone, showing you the steps to take on Android and iPhone.
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1) Cos’è IT-Alert
IT-Alert is one public alert system for direct information to the populationcapable of working for one precise geographical area; it will be used to send useful messages in the event of serious emergencies or imminent or ongoing disasters.
IT-alert is currently being tested and a different test is being launched in each region, so as to be able to verify the perfect functioning of the system. The IT-alert service complies with the international “Common Alerting Protocol” (CAP) standard, designed to guarantee complete interoperability with other national and international systems for the dissemination of alerts, emergency alerts and public notices.
2) Is IT-Alert dangerous? Spy on users? Does it steal personal data?
Many conspiracy theories and many fake news have flocked to IT-Alert, which have made the fortune of many sites and channels disinformation.
Nothing we find on IT-Alert fake news is true: the system is designed for receive warning messages issued by the Civil Protection in the event of imminent or occurred disasterswarning in time the population present in the vicinity of the area affected by the disaster (just think of the possible eruption of a volcano like the Vesuviusquite predictable nowadays).
It can be very useful in the event of other disasters such as sudden downpours, water bombs, landslides, fires and (to a limited extent) earthquakes; unfortunately the latter cannot yet be predicted with great precision in all scenarios but, immediately after the earthquake, the communication lines are interrupted or saturatedleaving people without useful information on what to do next and where to go to safety, exposing themselves to the danger of aftershocks (often even stronger and more dangerous than the primary shock).
3) Activate IT-Alert on Android
IT-Alert should be active by default on any Android phone but it’s worth checking, especially if we didn’t receive anything during the day scheduled for the test (perhaps it wasn’t picking up the GSM signal at that precise moment and we were left out of the test).
To activate IT-Alert on Android we open the app Settingspress at the top of the search bar and search Public alarms, opening the window of the same name. In the window that appears, activate the switch next to the item Allow alerts and we also activate the voice IT-Alert.
In the same window we can check the history of past alerts and choose whether to set a reminder to repeat the alert at regular intervals. Users who particularly care about the function can also activate it Test messagesto receive other types of testing messages (in addition to those related to IT-Alert).
4) Activate IT-Alert on iPhone
On iPhone it is very simple to check if we receive emergency alerts correctly, as there are dedicated entries that are easily accessible to anyone.
To verify that IT-Alert is correctly activated, press on the app Settingswe press on Notificationswe scroll through the page and activate the switch next to the item IT-Alert. Also in this case we can decide whether to receive other trial and testing messages by activating the voice Test notice.
Conclusions
IT-Alert is a secure system for sending rapid messages to the population in the event of calamities or disasters it should therefore always be kept activegiven that it can make a difference and save many lives with a simple message that can be received from any device with access to the mobile telephone network (even if the latter is saturated or damaged, given that cell broadcast also works in extreme conditions).
Always on the subject of timely and immediate information, we recommend you read our guides on how to monitor hurricanes and earthquakes in real time on interactive maps and on Most useful Telegram channels to follow.