In the United States, the government decided to test the presidential emergency warning system. Residents of the country who have iPhone heard the familiar siren sound.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sent out notifications to smartphones that said:
THIS IS A TEST of the National Emergency Alert System. You don't need to do anything.
In addition, residents have heard a siren that appears in emergency weather conditions. Unlike weather notifications, Presidential Alerts cannot be turned off in Device Settings. Moreover, notifications will appear even on non-activated and smartphones without a SIM card, if enabled.
The owners Apple Watch also received notifications.
📳 TODAY (10/3): At 2:18 PM EDT, we will be testing the Wireless Emergency Alert system nationwide. Expect a message box on your phone along with a loud tone and vibration.
Questions? Visit https://t.co/Op8T9AEpiF pic.twitter.com/cCXJGGObPP
— FEMA (@fema) October 3, 2018
Presidential warnings do not come from the president, but from the FEMA organization, which works with other agencies during emergencies. By law, test alerts must be sent every three years.
Today's test was originally scheduled for September 18, but has been postponed until today due to Hurricane Florence.