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)

Article Link: Apple Adds 'Test Alerts' Toggle to iPhone Just in Case You Really Want to Receive Test Emergency Alerts

I think this is rather a server side update from the government, not by Apple. I have this toggle since 15.5, if not even earlier. I don’t live in US though so that might differ.

NoelWalker said:

I think this is rather a server side update from the government, not by Apple. I have this toggle since 15.5, if not even earlier. I don’t live in US though so that might differ.

Yeah, this applies to the US only. Apple's support document specifically says iOS 15.6 or later.

That would be a thing important to test, makes sense.

I want to receive Emergency Alerts. Never know when important news will be released. Glad to be able to enable Test Alerts.

Is there anyone who chooses to leave Amber Alerts on if they know about this setting?

An issue I've found is if you're on airplane mode and using WiFi calling, you don't get (non-test) alerts. Good way to save battery/data in certain situations, but certainly a tradeoff.

I don’t need the government pinging me.

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.

I would think with all the political clowns trying to take a bite out of Apple that the default for anything coming from the government would be "on" just to try and make some brownie points.

Canada needs these toggles… BECAUSE Canada kept on misusing these Emergency alerts!!!

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?


Overslept. Lost my Job. Apply for IE. Here goes your Money.

I want government alerts enabled in case of nuclear apocalypse - that way I can at least know to call friends and family to say goodbye. And also so I know when a baby has been abducted 200 miles away.

Exactly, TinyMito!

If something were happening in my immediate neighborhood, I *might* be able to help in some way, but even that is a crap shoot.

Living up in the mountains, I'll wait 'til the first zombie comes across the fence. Don't need the gubbmint warning me about anything.

TinyMito said:

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?

I think we lived the same event.
Now I take a good laugh at it, but it was really terrible. I felt miserably tired the next day.

If you live in Hawaii, you can also opt to receive Fake Incoming Nuclear Missile alerts.

TinyMito said:

Canada needs these toggles… BECAUSE Canada kept on misusing these Emergency alerts!!!

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?

That is the biggest reason to ignore them - often they are no where near where you are, and just annoy you with teh alert.

Frankly, the rod signs that broadcast them are probably as good since they are more local and tailored to drivers who are actually on the road. They also don't require you to look at your cell phone if driving.

"But officer, I got an Amber Alert and had to see the description just in case they had driven 500 mil in the last hour"

ILoveCalvinCool said:

Is there anyone who chooses to leave Amber Alerts on if they know about this setting?

I doubt it, except those people who spam your group chat warning of white vans in the neighborhood (Hi Amazon delivery) and gang initiations involving flashing the car headlights.

If only the Amber alert could be displayed when the person you need to find is near you. Sort of like AirTag technology, I get an alert of a missing child, I pull out my iPhone and it shows a green arrow pointing the the kid that I need to save.

Tes alerts can be a good thing when done correctly, but in my area of north Texas in the DFW metroplex with multiple counties and dozens of cities comprising 7.6 million people, it gets out of hand during weather related events. The NWS (National Weather Service) will release multiple alerts for multiple locations as the weather event travels through the area. However, the system messes up more often than not and sends out alert to everyone even if they are not in the alert box. For 2 or 3 hours you can be inundated with alerts meant for locations far enough away that the threat to you is nonexistent. They really need to get with the phone companies and get this fixed, as I thin the issue is more related to them than the NWS. Also, silver alerts and missing persons alerts go out to the entire state, so we get way to many of them. The result is that people turn off the alerts.

ILoveCalvinCool said:

Is there anyone who chooses to leave Amber Alerts on if they know about this setting?

I’d leave it on if it didn’t go off at 3 in the morning.

Randel.D said:

The title of this article lol ?

You know, if you say "Test Toggle" five times fast....

It would be helpful if Apple moved the “government alerts” section above all the app options.

erinsarah said:

You know, if you say "Test Toggle" five times fast....

???
That made me recall the old Tickle Me Elmo factory worker joke.?

TinyMito said:

Canada needs these toggles… BECAUSE Canada kept on misusing these Emergency alerts!!!

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?


Overslept. Lost my Job. Apply for IE. Here goes your Money.

Click to expand...

Yes and if you complained about this in a canada forum, get ready to have your posts removed/have the entire canadian population downvote you. It’s insane. People who are unhappy about being woken up in the night will NOT magically turn into mother teresa and drive 500km in a winter storm when this is forced down their throats

And dont forget, all alerts are doubled up with delays in both English and French.

Connecting to the 3G network is the only way around it (for now)

The 'test' is curious to me... what is the metric for success? How do I know if I have not received the test alert? I guess they do on their side.