Ask HN: Emergency Alerts – Some phones get it, some dont?

4 points by TuringNYC 5y ago ↗ HN

As some may have heard there were tornados and flooding in NY/NJ and many areas of the northeastern US. Over a dozen died.

My mom, wife, and I were all sitting at a dining table together when this all happened yesterday evening. My mom's Android phone received over a dozen Emergency Alerts on the tornados and floods.

My iPhone received three alerts. My wife's iPhone received one only.

All our phones have all Notifications enabled, including Emergency Alerts and Public Safety Alerts. We were all on the same WIFI network.

Whey would there be such big differences in what each of us received?

4 comments

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PaulHoule 5y ago ↗

Which carriers were you on?

TuringNYC 5y ago ↗

All of us are on a Verizon Wireless family plan (same plan)

Also, one more difference (although backwards):

- My wife who had the fewest notifications has the latest iPhone Pro

- My mom who had the most alerts has a 3.5yo Google Pixel

- I was in the middle w/r/t alerts and have a 3yo iPhone X

codegeek 5y ago ↗

Not sure about how automated alerts work but I suggest manually subscribing to your local emergency websites. For example, I am subscribed to https://www.nixle.com/ which subscribes you to local emergency alerts. I received notifications from them in addition to the default ones.

mikewarot 5y ago ↗

I get emergency alerts way too often, for missing persons. I wish I could turn them off, as they never apply to my safety, or any situation I could actually help solve.