On 3 October 2023 around 2:20PM, the USA is testing its emergency alert system. The test will be broadcast over radio (including TV) and mobile phone. Expect phones to be blaring around you around this time. Don’t worry, this is only a test.

If you are likely to be in a situation where you cannot afford or tolerate your phone going off, then you might want to keep your phone powered off around this time. Some environments, such as courthouses, have rules on phones being in silent mode or turned off (I believe a phone going off in court in Atlanta can get someone in trouble for contempt of court). Even if you’ve muted all your settings on your phone, this alert might not respect those settings. While some phones expose settings to silence other alerts, the national alert system’s setting has been unalterable on the phones that I’ve examined over the years.

When the test goes off, don’t be alarmed. If you have one of those emergency tests radios, it might be a good opportunity to see how well it works.