i turned off alerts like that on my android phone. super nice
edit: they still come up on screen. they are just silent
this post was submitted on 07 May 2025
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chapotraphouse
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remembering that one time the whole state of Hawaii got a government message telling them nukes were on the way and that the message wasn't a drill
BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Hawaii_false_missile_alert
I hate it when that happens!
This is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time
The shitty interface for their statewide alert system was so funny
it cracks me up when i have to go to a website that is based in japan and its like this not because they never updated this but because they prefer it this way
God tier UI
Holy shit
I had friends and family members sit around and wait to die because they were convinced that taking cover was pointless cold war propaganda. North Korean nuclear weapons would not have wiped out the whole island, only a few square miles, and they all could have gone blind, been hit by gamma radiation, or had rocks go through them like bullets
Nuclear weapons go from instantly vaporizing you at one range, to being a warm breeze at another range! There is a middle ground!
In Colorado they send out a statewide alert whenever a cop is injured/killed. It's a nice relief from spam texts.
My state is like
BLUE ALERT
It's like your phone is celebrating
Holy fuck lol
Like a scoreboard siren
On android it's possible to go in to settings and turn off the test alerts. I smirk when all of my classmates have the test amber alert siren on
Amber.
Wrong amber
Amber.
got their ass
I have all government alerts blocked on my phone so i forget those are a thing for most people lol.
Every first Wednesday of the month, 10:00 a.m. a tornado siren goes off in town. Midwest living is a horror film
I miss that about the Midwest, outside of Chicago where the siren is fucking horrifying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84TSpb6UEwc
Even though it gave me Silent Hill vibes, there's something really pleasant about the sound and how powerful it is. It's like when a train passes.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Every alternating Saturday at 12:00 pm here.
When I was on Facebook, I was subscribed to my local city FB page. Every time that damn siren went off, even for actual storm emergencies, people would post asking what that noise is. It got so bad that the city put a YouTube clip of the siren audio on their own website to let people know what it sounds like. But that didn't stop them from asking every damn time.
In Sweden they test the air raid alarms every first Monday of the month in case the Russians attack, which apart from being ridiculous is counterproductive because everyone just learned to zone out the air raid sirens. I have been raised since birth to ignore air raid sirens and I'm really good at it by now. Air raid sirens do not make me lose focus on what I am doing, they don't interrupt coversations since you just move a bit closer and speak a bit louder without thinking, they certainly do not wake me up, etc. If they ever turn them on in a real crisis these might not be good skills to have.
The Russians should attack the first Monday of the month
It's worse here, everyone hears to siren and immediately goes outside to look at the storm. There is palpable disappointment when they realize it's just a test. Someone could hijack the system and wipe out everyone in midwest.
I used to love that back when I had a really wonky schedule. Just vibing to a game of Pokemon with the sirens going off in town. Lived with it the way someone expects the coyotes to yip at a certain time.
First Saturday 1pm gang
This seems way more reasonable than Wednesday 10am
First of the month at noon
What happens if it was actually real? Is there distinction between the two?
In my city, the test goes for 15 seconds while the real thing is like 3 to 5 minutes.
Also, apparently they don't even sound a test siren if there is rain or clouds in the area.
Yes, if it's just a test a voice echoes through the hills, "THIS IS A TEST OF THE EMERGENCY WARNING SYSTEM. THIS IS ONLY A TEST." This is a video of a similar siren. Now imagine 4 of these super loud and far away.
Now if it IS real, I don't know what that sounds like because the wind is too loud to hear it.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Fucking hate it. Except I think it happens every Wednesday where I am, though I could be wrong. Weather trauma + psychotic disorder = I literally hear sirens almost all the time.
fr why do I need a loud ass alert waking me up to tell me some kid has gone missing halfway across the state, like what the fuck am I supposed to do about that?
i saw a joke long time ago i think of every time i hear these: who tf they think i am, Batman? eff off I'm going back to sleep lol
Form a search party, go to the nearby sports bar to pick up the quest: ''Find the missing kid halfway across the state'', and go on an adventure.
yeah I turn those off. fuck them kids.
I was in study hall when it went off today. 100+ phones all went off at once.
what good does an early warning system do if you are freaking out not knowing what the loud alert on your phone could possibly mean because you've never heard or seen one before??? if you get desensitized to the loud alarm from tests...lol
This is canon fallout lore
You can turn them off in settings.
On iOS under notifications at the very bottom there's government alerts.
Might not be available on my phone/region. I search "government alert" and it takes me to Notifications but I can't see any option there for it.
Agreed. Since experiencing a historic tornado when I was younger, all those sounds are nightmare fuel. One time I tried watching one of those 'sirenhead' things (dumb slop, I know) and it was so bad. Their tests could certainly use less extreme sounds.
This shit is rampant in the south.
In Poland the government just texts us that there might be a storm or a mild snowfall coming