Activate AT-Alert: Severe weather warnings in Austria on your mobile phone – here's how!

Heavy rain is currently keeping many federal states, including Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Styria, Salzburg, Vienna and Burgenland, on edge. In these times - and of course at other times too - it makes sense to receive warning messages on your cell phone. The new "AT-Alert" recently went into operation in parts of Austria. We explain how you can receive warning messages on your smartphone without an app.

Update on October 05, 2024: As of today, within the framework of the civil protectionprobealarms also tested AT-Alert across Austria. This is a test - not a danger. Smartphones in Austria should have received a warning at around 11:55 (extreme danger; if set to silent, the smartphone only vibrates) and 12:45 (emergency alarm; if set to silent, the alarm still sounds). Didn't receive the alarm? In this guide, we have all the information on how to activate AT-Alert.

Picture: TechnikNews

AT-Alert is a population warning system that works using so-called "cell broadcast" technology. This is intended to provide additional support to the 8.300 civil defense sirens already in Austria. To receive the warnings, only a mobile phone signal is required. An additional app or internet connection is not required. The warning message reaches all cell phones that are in the respective cell of the affected region. The aim is to be able to reach as many affected people as possible directly via smartphone using the new warning system. In the event of an alarm, a shrill tone sounds on the smartphones reached, which also sounds at full volume in muted mode. No warning can be received in flight mode.

AT-Alert has been active in a test phase in some Austrian states since September 09th. However, some towns, districts and states are already sending warnings about flooding and flood information. Normally, these messages should automatically land on your cell phone. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to check the settings again manually. We will show you how and where. However, since the system is not yet available nationwide, you should not rely on it completely.

How to activate emergency alerts on your smartphone

In the following section we offer two instructions - one for Android (almost all manufacturers except Apple; such as Google, Honor, Huawei, Samsung, vivo, Xiaomi, ...) and iOS (Apple devices). The emergency notifications are then active and are sent out in the event of an emergency by the nine state warning centers of the federal states and the Federal Ministry of the Interior.

By the way: After activating the emergency notifications, they can be received not only in Austria, but also, for example, when on vacation in other countries that support them. In principle, mobile phones (Android version 11 and above; iPhones iOS 17.4 and above) can receive every warning level. Apple Watches Series 4 and above (with Cellular) are also supported, but iPads are not. Older mobile phones that are not LTE-capable are also only able to receive the highest warning level (extreme danger).

Activate AT-Alert on Android – here's how!

1. Open settings
2. “Safety and Emergency” (menu item name may vary)
3. “Emergency alerts”
4. Here, emergency notifications should be allowed first, and then the following categories should be activated (if not activated):
   Extreme Hazards, Major Hazards, AMBER Alerts, Test Alerts (to receive a test notification of the civil defense alert to see if it works)

Activate AT-Alert on iOS – here's how!

1. Open settings
2. “Notifications” -> scroll all the way down
3. For “AT-Alert” activate the following categories (if not activated):
   Extreme danger, serious danger, danger information, missing person, test warning (to receive a test message during the civil defense alarm to see if it works)

Further information is available on the Overview page of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.

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