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National Emergency Test Day

July 06, 2026

Australia's national emergency system, AusAlert, will be tested across the country on Monday, 27 July 2026.

If you rely on a hidden phone for your safety, it's important to know about Australia's new emergency alert system, AusAlert.

AusAlert is a new national emergency warning system that will allow emergency service organisations and some Australian Government agencies to send urgent messages to compatible mobile phones and other mobile devices in a specified area. 

These alerts may bypass silent and "Do Not Disturb" settings. If you have a hidden device be aware that Critical Alerts may sound even if your phone is on silent.

Critical Alerts won't sound on Aeroplane mode or a device that is switched off. If it is safe to do so, consider turning off a hidden device before a scheduled test and only turning it back on once the test period has ended.

Read more about AusAlert and its testing below, you can also find more information here: https://www.nema.gov.au/our-work/risk-reduction/ausalert

FAQ

AusAlert may be used for a range of situations, including:

  • Natural hazards, such as bushfires, floods, cyclones and tsunamis
  • Public safety and security threats, such as serious public safety incidents or terrorism
  • Biosecurity incidents, such as animal or plant disease and biohazard outbreaks
  • Health emergencies, such as pandemics or other national public health events.

In Victoria, the test alert will sound at 2:00pm AEST (UTC+10:00) on Monday the 27th of July.

AusAlerts work on many mobile phones, tablets and smartwatches. Devices don’t need a working SIM card.

They are expected to work on:

  • iPhones 11 and up running iOS 26.4 or later
  • Apple Watch SE2, SE3, Series 6 and up running watchOS 26.4 or later
  • Android devices running Android 12 or later.

Older Android phones and phones that don’t use iOS or Android might still receive AusAlerts.

Apple iPads won't receive AusAlerts.

Alerts won't sound on Aeroplane mode or a device that is switched off. Because Critical Alerts cannot activate on a device that is switched off, if it is safe to do so, consider turning off a hidden device before a scheduled test and only turning it back on once the test period has ended.

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