Government Alerts are cool!

**Richard1864** · 09-18-2012, 06:55 PM

I don't know if anyone has seen this yet, but if you go into Settings>Notifications, and then scroll to the bottom, you will see a section called Government Alerts. In that section, there are AMBER Alerts and Emergency Alerts. Both are turned ON by default.

Well, tonite in my area we had some really severe thunderstorms come screaming by. And just before one of those storms hit, I heard the weirdest noise from my iPhone 4S - kind of a hybrid of an electronic scream and klaxon like you hear on TV or radio with an Weather emergency or the like. When I got to my phone, on the lock screen was a message stating: "A flood watch has been issued in this area. Please check local media for details -NS"

Apparently this service also uses GPS, and NS obviously stands for National Service, or in this case, National Weather Service. Kinda of cool, huh.

These alerts are for weather alerts, disasters, terrorist attacks, etc. I think it a very good service. What do you guys think?

Oh, and it is free.

**jim1969** · 09-18-2012, 07:06 PM

No govt alerts on my phone settings.

**kch50428** · 09-18-2012, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by jim1969

No govt alerts on my phone settings.

it's an iOS6 thing...

**dieseldude** · 09-18-2012, 07:17 PM

Originally Posted by kch50428

it's an iOS6 thing...

Thanks for that, I was just looking threw my settings, ha!!

Tapatalk iPhone 4s

**jclisenby** · 09-18-2012, 07:45 PM

I'm on iOS 6 and I'm not seeing this section either.

**ricoe320#IM** · 09-18-2012, 07:46 PM

Well if it's in ios 6 I'm liking that

**Exxod** · 09-18-2012, 07:46 PM

That's pretty cool.

**kilcher** · 09-18-2012, 07:52 PM

7 posts and no one is ranting about how the government is using this "service" to track your whereabouts?!?!?!? You guys are slipping.

**kch50428** · 09-18-2012, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by kilcher

7 posts and no one is ranting about how the government is using this "service" to track your whereabouts?!?!?!? You guys are slipping.

This particular "service" does not involve receiving a signal from your phone, and there is no possible way of tracking someone with it. Funny how reality can suck the life out of a grand delusion.

**Richard1864** · 09-18-2012, 07:59 PM

Let's see...the government can track us via the GPS on our phones, which towers are phones bounce signals off of, test messages WE send out, and stuff like that....but I fail to see how they can track us via a text message that is sent to an anonymous random phone number that changes every 2 minutes or so and is attached to a pool of more than 70 million cell phone numbers.

Oh, and before I forget, if there is some kind of national disaster or attack, your phone will apparently get those warnings whether you have it turned on or not, according to the FCC.

**Heisenberg** · 09-18-2012, 08:34 PM

On iOS 6. Don't have this in my notification settings.

**Fausty82** · 09-18-2012, 08:35 PM

Originally Posted by kch50428

it's an iOS6 thing...

Don't see it on my iOS 6 iPhone 4S... no biggie, just an observation.

**Exxod** · 09-18-2012, 08:36 PM

The government can already track us without consent. Might as well make it easer for them, you know, to save them spending all that taxpayer money.

**Fausty82** · 09-18-2012, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by kch50428

This particular "service" does not involve receiving a signal from your phone, and there is no possible way of tracking someone with it. Funny how reality can suck the life out of a grand delusion.

That doesn't make sense... doesn't it have to know where you are in order to hit you with the correct alerts? If I'm in Arizona, I don't need to be notified about an amber alert or a tornado in Ohio...

**kilcher** · 09-18-2012, 08:39 PM

Originally Posted by kch50428

This particular "service" does not involve receiving a signal from your phone, and there is no possible way of tracking someone with it. Funny how reality can suck the life out of a grand delusion.

Ok, I was just kidding but I don't buy it doesn't know where you are. How else would the OP get an alert there's a flood warning for his area?

**kch50428** · 09-18-2012, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by Fausty82

Don't see it on my iOS 6 iPhone 4S... no biggie, just an observation.

It may also be a carrier thing too... I know it's an iOS6 thing... attached is the screenshot...

**lazaruz** · 09-18-2012, 08:46 PM

It must be a Verizon thing . It is not on my iOS iPhone 4S from AT&T

**Fausty82** · 09-18-2012, 08:46 PM

Originally Posted by kch50428

It may also be a carrier thing too... I know it's an iOS6 thing... attached is the screenshot...

I never doubted you, my friend... merely stating that my AT&T iPhone 4S running iOS 6 GM doesn't have it. The good news is that I am NOT being tracked

**kch50428** · 09-18-2012, 08:46 PM

Originally Posted by kilcher

Ok, I was just kidding but I don't buy it doesn't know where you are. How else would the OP get an alert there's a flood warning for his area?

because the messages are sent to active devices on specified towers within a warned area by the authority responsible for the warnings.

**JustMe'D** · 09-18-2012, 08:55 PM

I have been using the MyRadar Pro app for quite awhile and I get that exact emergency alert tone and message alerting me to severe weather.

**jclisenby** · 09-18-2012, 09:28 PM

This is so weird that some people have it and some don't. I'm on the GM on Verizon and it's not there for me.

**flyersfan76** · 09-18-2012, 11:02 PM

Yeah I have it on my BB Bold. Pretty cool. Had 3 phones go off at the same time in a small office for severe storms a couple weeks ago.

Nice feature.