Ask HN: How Do Emergency Alerts on Phone Work?

3•rishikeshs•3h ago

I’m now in UAE which is affected by war. Woke up to an alert yesterday night and was wondering how this works. Any good write ups on its technical side?

Comments

WarOnPrivacy•2h ago

     Delivery Method: WEA utilizes a one-to-many alert delivery service
     called SMS-Cell Broadcast (SMS-CB), rather than SMS Point-to-Point
     (SMS-PP). 

     SMS-Cell Broadcast (SMS-CB) is a method for sending short text messages
     simultaneously to multiple mobile phone users within a specific geographic
     area. It is a feature within the GSM (Global System for Mobile
     Communications) standard and is sometimes referred to as Cell Broadcast.

ref: https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_ts/144000_144099/144012/07...

rishikeshs•2h ago

Is this a universal standard? How does it override my phone’s volume!

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Ask HN: How Do Emergency Alerts on Phone Work?

Comments

Ask HN: Who is hiring? (March 2026)

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Ask HN: How Do Emergency Alerts on Phone Work?

Whats Up with Claude Lately?

Ask HN: How are you all staying sane?

Ask HN: What sources like HN do you consume?

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Tell HN: MitID, Denmark's digital ID, was down

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