September 4th 2025
This weekend sees the second UK-wide government organised emergency alert test, which will sound on Sunday at around 3pm on all mobile phones – whether the sound is turned on or off. The alert will take the form of a pop-up message accompanied by a loud tone and vibration which will cease automatically after 10 seconds. But women’s safeguarding groups are warning that the alert could spell danger for victims of coercive control, revealing the presence of their handset.
It is not uncommon for abusers to control or confiscate their victims’ mobile phones as a means of isolating them from friends and family and, therefore, assistance. This often leads the victim to keep a second phone, unbeknown to the abuser, which is an important mode of day-to-day communication and, equally important, summoning help.
It is not sufficient to switch devices to silent mode, as the emergency alert is designed to override this. Discovering a secondary phone could also escalate the abuse.
Refuge has put together an excellent short, easy-to-follow video on how to turn off emergency alerts, which can be viewed on YouTube. The advice covers both Android and Apple devices.
Alternatively, users can simply switch off their device entirely, or put it in aeroplane mode before the alert is sent out on Sunday.
Other information for victims
Refuge also publishes very useful information on securing digital devices to minimise the opportunity for abusers to exploit them. This can be found on the charity’s dedicated tech safety page.
