AT&T Enables Government Emergency Alerts For iPhone Users
by Joe White
June 15, 2013
AT&T has rolled out a software update for iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, and - in certain areas - iPhone 4 handsets, enabling Wireless Emergency Alerts.
In a blog post announcing the software update, the carrier explains:
These are government-issued safety messages that include AMBER Alerts, emergency alerts – such as man-made or natural disasters, and Presidential alerts.Though Presidential alerts may not be disabled, iPhone users have the option of switching AMBER alerts and Emergency alerts off in the Notifications section of the built-in Settings app. Of course, doing this is not advised. AT&T continues:
When the software update is delivered to your phone, you will see a message that states "Carrier Settings Update: new settings required for your device have been installed."As mentioned above, though AT&T noted that the carrier update would be available for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S only, in certain U.S. areas iPhone 4 users have also received the emergency alerts-enabling update. The carrier update will be sent over-the-air (OTA) for iPhone users running iOS 6.1 or later. If you're on an earlier version of Apple's mobile operating system, AT&T's update will be downloaded and installed when your handset is next connected to iTunes. Have you received AT&T's carrier update yet? For more of our recent news, see: Impressive Concept Shows iOS 7 Running On A 4.3-Inch iPhone Handset, Today's Best Apps: Bob Player And Quadropus Rampage, and School's Out And Little Nick Makes His Great Escape.
