Don't panic at 2 pm: every phone in Australia will sound a siren today as AusAlert goes live for its first national test

A 10-second emergency siren will blast from millions of mobile phones this afternoon (27th July 2026) — even those on silent. It's only a test of AusAlert, Australia's new national warning system. Here's what you need to know before it happens.

If your phone suddenly erupts with a loud siren and a full-screen warning this afternoon, take a breath — nothing is wrong. Australia is running the first nationwide test of AusAlert, a new emergency warning system built to reach people faster during bushfires, floods, cyclones and other life-threatening events.

When the alert will reach you

The test is timed to land simultaneously across the country, which means the local time depends on where you live:

• 2:00 pm — Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT

• 1:30 pm — South Australia, the Northern Territory and Broken Hill

• 12:00 pm (midday) — Western Australia

So if you're in Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane — home to the largest share of our community — expect it at 2 pm sharp.

What you'll see and hear

For about ten seconds, compatible phones will vibrate and play a loud siren while a large notification takes over the screen. This is not an ordinary text message — it won't arrive in your SMS app. The message will state clearly that it is only a test and that no action is required.

Two things make this different from anything Australians have experienced before. First, the alert is classed as a critical alert, so it will sound even if your phone is on silent or Do Not Disturb — whether you're at work, in a lecture, or mid-shift. Second, if you're driving, it may play through your car's speakers via Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or Bluetooth, briefly interrupting music or navigation. Authorities have reminded drivers not to pick up their phones if the alert arrives on the road.

Why Australia built AusAlert

The system grew out of the 2020 Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, held after the Black Summer bushfires exposed gaps in how warnings reached people. The current system sends individual text messages, which can be delayed when networks are damaged or congested in a disaster.

AusAlert instead uses cell broadcast technology — already in use in more than 35 countries — which pushes a warning directly from mobile towers to every compatible phone in a defined area, almost instantly. Because it doesn't depend on a single tower or on network capacity, alerts are far more likely to get through when it matters most.

In a genuine emergency, an AusAlert message would tell you what the threat is, where it is, how serious it is, which agency issued the warning, and where to find more information. Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain has described the system as "another tool in the toolkit for emergency service organisations" — it will work alongside, not replace, warnings on radio, television, websites and social media, and the existing landline alert system will continue to operate.

A word for our families

Today's alert will be in English, and it will be loud. If you have elderly parents or grandparents at home — especially family members more comfortable in Sinhala or Tamil — let them know before this afternoon so the siren doesn't cause a fright. The same goes for newly arrived relatives, visiting parents and international students who may never have experienced an Australian emergency alert. The message asks for nothing: no link to click, no details to provide, no call to make.

An important safety note

Because the alert overrides silent mode, people who keep a hidden phone for their personal safety — such as those experiencing domestic and family violence — are advised to switch that device off, or put it in airplane mode, about an hour before the test and leave it that way for 24 hours. As WESNET chief executive Karen Bentley explained, silent or Do Not Disturb settings won't stop the alert, but "a phone that is switched off or in airplane mode will not" receive it.

If you or someone you know needs support, call 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) at any time.

What happens next

Today's test lets authorities check the system's performance and iron out any issues before it goes live. From October, state and territory emergency services will begin using AusAlert for real emergencies, with each jurisdiction deciding when and where alerts are issued — just in time for the coming high-risk weather season.

More information is available on the Australian Government's AusAlert website.

Read more: https://www.ausalert.gov.au/