What happens on November 17, why your phone stays quiet this time, and how to make sure you actually get the alerts that matter.
Back to live weatherThis is the part most people get wrong. The 2023 national test paired an EAS broadcast with a Wireless Emergency Alert to every cell phone in the country. The 2026 test is narrower — it covers the Emergency Alert System only. Radio and TV will carry it. Your phone will not make a sound.
If your phone stays quiet on November 17, nothing is broken and no action is needed.
The Emergency Alert System is a national public warning network built from thousands of radio stations, television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite providers, and wireline video providers. It exists so that the President can address the country, or share life-saving information, during a national emergency.
FEMA is required by law to test that system at least once every three years. The tests exist to surface technical and operational problems while the stakes are low, rather than discovering them during an actual disaster. This will be the first nationwide test since October 4, 2023.
At approximately 2:20 p.m. Eastern on November 17, broadcasters nationwide will interrupt normal programming for about one minute. You will hear the standard EAS attention tones, followed by this message:
FEMA transmits the test through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System using the Nationwide Test of the EAS event code, targeted with the All-US geocode. It is sent in both English and Spanish. Normal programming resumes when the test concludes.
Because the alerts that will actually save your life come through your phone, not your television. Tornado warnings, flash flood emergencies, and evacuation orders are delivered as Wireless Emergency Alerts — and those are issued with no warning and no schedule. November 17 is simply a good prompt to check that yours are switched on.
Some carriers hide it. Open the Phone app, tap Keypad, dial *5005*25371# and press call. You should see “Test alerts enabled.” Dialing *5005*25370# turns them back off.
Menus move between One UI versions and carriers. Two reliable alternatives: search emergency alerts in the Settings search bar, or go to Settings › Notifications › Advanced settings › Wireless emergency alerts.
Wireless Emergency Alerts travel over a dedicated cell broadcast channel rather than as text messages. That means they do not use your number, they do not count against any plan, they cannot be blocked as spam, and they are not slowed down when the network is congested during a disaster. Every compatible phone in the targeted area receives the same broadcast at the same moment.
There is nothing to register for. If your phone is on, out of airplane mode, and within range of a participating tower, it is already eligible. The only thing you control is which categories you allow.
National alerts are designed to sound regardless. On iPhone, the Always Play Sound switch under Emergency Alerts makes the rest behave the same way. The only sure way to avoid an alert is to power the phone off or put it in airplane mode.
Test alerts are the only way to confirm the system reaches your specific phone, on your specific carrier, in your specific area, before a real emergency depends on it. Leaving them on costs you a handful of notifications a year.
No. The 2026 test does not include a Wireless Emergency Alert component at all. Only radio, television, cable, satellite, and wireline video providers carry this one. A silent phone is the expected outcome.
Not from the broadcast itself — if you are listening to the radio or watching live TV at 2:20 p.m. Eastern, you will get it. For the WEA side in years when a phone test is included, National Alerts cannot be disabled on either iPhone or Android. Powering down or switching to airplane mode during the window is the only way to avoid it.
FEMA and the FCC set the scope of each test. The October 2023 test paired an EAS broadcast with a nationwide WEA message; the November 2026 public notice covers the Emergency Alert System alone. Scope varies from test to test depending on what the agencies are evaluating.
Cable systems, satellite television, satellite radio, and wireline video providers all participate. On-demand streaming services generally do not, since they are not EAS participants. If you are watching a live broadcast feed through any provider, expect the interruption.
That is exactly why there is a backup date. If conditions require postponement — a real emergency competing for the alerting system, for instance — the test moves to December 3, 2026 at the same time.
Nearly all phones sold in the US over the past decade support WEA. Very old handsets, or phones brought from outside the US, may not. If your device has no Government Alerts or Wireless emergency alerts section in its settings at all, that is the likely reason — your carrier can confirm.
Test details confirmed against FEMA and FCC announcements dated September 16, 2026. Settings menus vary by carrier, device model, and software version.