European system for warning the population in the event of a disaster via cell phones
A device running iOS 17 during tests of the Spanish EU-Alert variant (called ES-Alert) in Barcelona on 14 September 2023. The upper notification is written in Catalan and English, and the lower one in Catalan and Spanish. Both were sent from the Catalan government's Operational Coordination Centre. The discordant tone, together with the display of a system-unique emergency notification, makes sure these alerts are unique, authentic, and immediately recognisable.
EU-Alert is compatible with Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) standard as used in the United States. Since 2012, and by default, mobile phone OSes like Android, iOS, and Windows support EU-Alert via Cell Broadcast for public warning messages.
