What to do if you didn’t receive Monday’s AusAlert test

People across Australia have been sharing their experiences of receiving Monday’s AusAlert test, with some reporting that they did not get it on their device.

The new warning technology, designed to deliver emergency alerts faster and to more people during disasters, sent out an alert at 2pm AEST/12pm AWST on Monday.

But not everyone got one, with expectant residents posting about their experiences on social media.

“Anyone else not get the emergency alert?” one person wrote online.

“Same thing for me, just didn’t happen,” another commented.

“Hubby didn’t get his, was at a mine site,” a third added.

Another person said her alert came through but her work colleagues didn’t receive one. “Funny how our phones are in the same area but they didn’t get it,” she said.

What to do if you didn’t get the alert

If your device was switched on and not on aeroplane mode and it still didn’t come through, there could be several reasons why.

It could be because your device wasn’t connected to a tower in those 10 seconds, or because it’s not a compatible device, or it hasn’t had the required system updates.

Current government guidelines indicate that only Apple devices running iOS 26.9 or later and Android devices running Android 12 or later would receive the alert.

Authorities are encouraging people not to panic if they didn’t get the test but to report any glitches to help improve the service for when it’s used for an actual national emergency.

Residents who didn’t get the warning test don’t have to do anything, but if they want to give feedback on how their device responded to the activation, they can do so through an online feedback survey.

Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said 94 per cent of targeted cell towers successfully broadcast the test alert to mobile devices, exceeding the National Emergency Management Agency’s target.

She said Australians who missed the alert should not be concerned, with several possible explanations including device compatibility, software updates or being outside a coverage area.

“Telco partners is that 94 per cent of targeted cell towers successfully broadcast the AusAlert test messages to mobile devices around the country,” she said.

“This is above the National Emergency Management Agency’s target.

“Compatible devices across the nation have received the test alert, and it was effective across all states and territories.

“Obviously, we’re only an hour after this test, so NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency) will continue to analyse the technical and performance data and engage with emergency service organisations around the country.

“Don’t worry if you did not receive an alert.

“This could be because you were not in a coverage area, your software was not up to date, or your device was incompatible.”