On Wednesday, an accidental message startled many Alaskans when a routine test unexpectedly triggered a cellphone emergency alert across the state. Mark Roberts oversees Alaska’s Emergency Alert System, which usually sends only alerts through television and radio.
However, instead of selecting just the traditional test, the worker mistakenly clicked the Wireless Emergency Alert option during the process. That mobile-based system, controlled by federal guidelines, pushes critical emergency updates to every cellphone in a targeted geographic region.
Though unintentional, the message did not indicate a live threat and clearly labeled itself as a test when it appeared on screens. Only Alaskans who manually activated test alerts in their phone settings received the message, limiting the scale of the disruption.
Government alerts can be found on iPhones under Settings > Notifications > Government Alerts, while Android users should look under state and local tests. Phones have emergency alerts automatically enabled, but test messages require users to turn that option on manually.
Officials compared the situation to a 2018 Hawaii error, though Alaska’s message was clearly labeled and impacted fewer residents. Despite the mix-up, the incident proved Alaska’s ability to initiate a wireless emergency alert within seconds.
