Enlarge image
A warning should also be issued throughout Germany about such sirens on December 8th: "Very well prepared for this warning day".
Photo: Soeren Stache / dpa
On Thursday, mobile phone users in Germany will hear what an acute emergency sounds like.
On the so-called "warning day" of the federal government, the three major mobile phone providers Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica and Vodafone want to send a high-level warning message to all their customers' cell phones within range at 11 a.m. via their cell towers as a test run.
At the same time, sirens and radio announcements are also being tested.
The test alarm is initiated by an insistent, alternating warning tone - even if the cell phone is actually muted.
At the same time, a text message appears.
The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) wants to draw the greatest attention to the new communication channel.
The new alarm system is specially tailored to German authorities, and any problems caused by incorrect configurations or incompletely updated software should be clarified in practice on Thursday.
Who gets an alert message – and who doesn't?
Users do not have to prepare their devices specifically for the warning day.
The channel for emergency notifications should actually be activated by default on all reasonably up-to-date mobile phones.
The new German technology is supported by Android phones from version 11, Apple devices with iOS 16 or versions 15.7.1 and 15.6.1 also have it integrated.
Enlarge image
The warning day on December 8th is organized by the Federal Office for Civil Protection
Photo: Oliver Berg / dpa
Specifically, this means that the iPhone 6, which was sold from autumn 2014, will not display an alarm, according to the BBK.
However, an iPhone 6s that came out a year later is primed for cell broadcast.
This also applies to all subsequent iPhone models - provided they have the latest version of the operating system installed.
An update to the latest operating system is recommended anyway - if only for reasons of IT security.
It's less consistent with Android devices: Google's own phones have been included since the Pixel 2, which was released in 2017.
For other manufacturers, it depends on how long they continue to update the device software.
You can find out which Android version is running on your own device in the settings menu under “About smartphone”.
There is an – incomplete – overview of supported devices on the BBK website.
Are older devices also reached on the warning day?
Sometimes older devices can also receive the alarm signal.
The SMS-CB technology used for alarm notifications has been in use in various countries for more than a decade.
One problem: German authorities are trying to integrate particularly detailed information.
The result is a four-digit message ID that is placed in front of the messages, while in other countries only a three-digit code is provided.
With a last-minute update, the authorities are trying to use both types of transmission in parallel when Cell Broadcast officially starts in February 2023.
With older devices, reception may have to be activated manually, as Samsung writes on its website, for example.
It is not known how many devices can receive the new messages in total.
Cheap devices in particular are often delivered with outdated or adapted Android versions.
In addition, the manufacturers only offer limited updates, there is no obligation to retrofit the function.
Since the mobile phones do not give any feedback as to whether they have received and displayed the alarm message correctly, the number of citizens who can be reached via cell broadcast remains unknown even after the warning day.
The BBK therefore points out that text messages are just one of many building blocks for alerting the population, ranging from radio announcements to loudspeaker trucks.
Even digital billboards, which are being set up in more and more cities, are integrated into the alarm plans.
Why was there an SMS on the warning day recently?
Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica and Vodafone had sent an SMS to all their customers on the warning day in the past few weeks.
This was intended to inform everyone in advance of the alarm on December 8th.
The fact that these were sent over several days caused some ambiguity at times.
While some users were still waiting for the announcement message, others had already received it.
Anyone who has received this SMS will not automatically receive a warning on Thursday.
Only devices that support the technology receive the cell broadcast alert, while SMS can be delivered to all devices as long as the network is working.
What is the advantage of the new cell broadcast technology?
The authorities have been releasing apps like NINA or Katwarn for a number of years, which in principle are supposed to fulfill the same task as Cell Broadcast.
But on the one hand, not all users have such apps installed, on the other hand, a reasonably up-to-date smartphone is also required.
The changed technical basis is also important: the warning apps require a working data connection.
If all mobile devices are alerted at the same time, there is a data jam that can overload the mobile network.
The communication services that are urgently needed in an emergency could therefore no longer function.
Cell broadcast, on the other hand, works on the principle of a radio.
All devices within range are reached with the same message.
Because it's a one-way communication, authorities can't track who received the message.
The BBK advises not to delete emergency apps that have already been installed, as they can provide additional information in an emergency.
For example, you can use them to define several areas that you want to be informed about, even if you are not there at the time.
What if I don't get a message?
If you don't receive a message on Thursday, you should first check your settings.
Is the operating system up to date?
And: Are the emergency notifications activated?
On Android and iOS you will find the corresponding options in the message app, which you can also use to receive text messages.
Click-by-click instructions for whether you want to receive test messages or only actual warnings in an emergency can be found on the Deutsche Telekom website, for example.
However, it can also be due to the network if a warning message does not arrive.
Two years ago, the warning day turned out to be a debacle due to a series of breakdowns.
For this reason, the BBK has set up a survey in which users can give direct feedback on the success or failure of the warning day.
Why is Cell Broadcast only now?
Enlarge image
Modular warning system in the Federal Office for Civil Protection: »It would have been technically possible to use cell broadcast from the early 2000s«
Photo: Oliver Berg / dpa
"It would have been technically possible to use cell broadcast for disaster information and warnings from the early 2000s," criticizes Johannes Rundfeldt, founder and spokesman for AG KRITIS, an independent association of IT security experts.
The only thing missing was the political will in the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
It was only after the failed warning day 2020 and the catastrophic consequences of missing warnings for the floods in the Ahr valley that people changed their minds.
However, the German authorities could not simply adapt a system from abroad, but had to adapt the warnings to the reporting chains and the modular warning system (MoWaS) already established in Germany.
The providers also had to adapt their technology and set up their own secure centers for sending emergency messages.
After the warning day 2021 was canceled, the federal government feels it is on the right track this time.
"The BBK is very well prepared for this warning day," said Juliane Seifert, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of the Interior, on Monday in Berlin.
How good will be shown on Thursday.