Apple Adds 'Test Alerts' Toggle to iPhone Just in Case You Really Want to Receive Test Emergency Alerts
Apple has added a new "Test Alerts" toggle to the Settings app in iOS 15.6 and the third beta of iOS 16. The toggle is visible only on iPhones connected to a U.S. carrier and allows users to enable test emergency alerts from the U.S. government.
Turning on "Test Alerts" enables test emergency alerts to be received on both the iPhone and Apple Watch. The toggle is located in the Settings app under Notifications → Government Alerts and is turned off by default. Apple says the government is responsible for the content and the frequency of the test alerts.
It was already possible to enable test alerts on previous versions of iOS by installing a special profile from Apple or dialing a code in the Phone app. The toggle simply provides users with an easier way to opt in to receive test alerts.
Apple has updated support documents for the iPhone and Apple Watch with more details.
(Test Alerts graphic based on screenshot shared by via @MikeBeas)
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Top Rated Comments
Amber alert in the middle of the night, 500kms away from my city + no description of the child or kidnapper… what do they expect us to do? Get out in PJ and drive, 500kms around to find the child?
[SPOILER="banana"]w..........t.......f......... Canada service…[/SPOILER]
Overslept. Lost my Job. Apply for IE. Here goes your Money.
We used to have Spectrum TV, and they would interrupt shows for Amber Alerts for incidents that happened hundreds of miles away. No point in that other than to ramp up the fear. All reality is local.