Now you can test US government emergency alerts on your iPhone.

Both iOS 15.6 and iOS 16 allegedly provide a new toggle that lets you test US government emergency alerts on your iPhone and Apple Watch.

• The recent iOS 15.6 update, as well as the third iOS 16 beta, includes a new toggle in the Settings app for testing emergency alerts from the US government.
• If you choose to test emergency alerts, it is important to remember that the content and frequency of these alerts is the responsibility of the US government.
• If your iPhone is not connected to the US, either through a US SIM or while roaming within the country, this toggle won’t be available to you.

An easier way to check emergency alerts

As MacRumors points out, this isn’t exactly a new feature. In iOS 15.3 or earlier, you could dial a special code in the Phone app to sign up for test notifications. In iOS 15.6 (and iOS 16), the Settings app now has an external toggle for testing emergency alerts. This should increase the visibility of this feature and hopefully get more people thinking about choosing it. The toggle is in Settings → Notifications, then scroll down the screen and turn on “Check Emergency Alerts”under the “Government Alerts”heading.

New test alerts pic.twitter.com/msFkmkh4ry

— Mike Beasley (@MikeBeas) July 7, 2022

We’ve come across comments from users who don’t live in the US who claim to have this switch with iOS 15.5. This means it’s not clear if this is a server-side update that doesn’t require a software update, or a new feature in iOS 15.6 and iOS 16. Apple provides detailed instructions for iPhone and Apple Watch owners for those who want to learn more about emergency testing.. alerts.

• About emergencies and government alerts on iPhone
• About government and emergency alerts on Apple Watch

Again, you won’t see it unless your iPhone is connected to a US carrier, as described above. This switch is disabled by default. “When you receive this type of alert, you hear a sound similar to an alarm clock, and the alert mentions that this is a test,” Apple notes.

Testing Emergency Alerts on Apple Watch

If you have a cellular watch, you can also get these alerts on your wrist when the watch is not connected to your iPhone. “When you receive this type of alert, you hear an alarm-like sound and the alert mentions that this is a test,” Apple explains. Testing emergency alerts on Apple Watch requires watchOS 8.4 or later.