<p>I don’t think amber alerts only work on newer phones, because I got them on my very old non-smart phone. This is also not the first time the system’s been used. I got woken up two nights in a row several months ago for two separate kidnapping alerts in Massachusetts.</p>
<p>I’m guessing maybe it hasn’t been as publicized before. In both of the MA cases, the children were found the next day.</p>
<p>I didn’t get this alert, but I did get the siren alarm a couple of weeks ago when we had a local amber alert.</p>
<p>I had specifically not set up my smartphone to receive alerts like this. I was told once it was activated, it was almost impossible to turn off since they were government alerts. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t mind a text message, but a screeching alarm or siren could be dangerous, especially if received while driving. It would also be unsettling if it happened at work or, while sleeping, as it was for so many people here.</p>
<p>^^^^Yeah, it happened to DH, D2 and I all at once, and it startled the crap out of all of us. I had no idea my phone was set up this way.</p>
<p>Ihave an iphone5, I also have it set for do not disturb from 10pm- 7am, so perhaps that is why I didn’t hear an alarm.
My H also received the Amber Alert & he has an ancient flip phone.
We are in Seattle, Im wondering if those who heard the alarm were physically closer to actual sightings.</p>
<p>“I had specifically not set up my smartphone to receive alerts like this. I was told once it was activated, it was almost impossible to turn off since they were government alerts.”</p>
<p>It is as simple as pushing a few buttons. On my iPhone there is an off/on button both for Amber alerts and government emergency alerts, and I’m sure a similar thing can be done on other phones. </p>
<p>Im with LasMa: not everyone who has a mobile phone watches TV or follows the news. The system also targets people in specific geographic areas; I suspect that the area code of the phone number and wifi connectivity also have something to do with who gets alerts.</p>
<p>I have an an Iphone 4 and do not have the do not disturb settings on mine. I can turn mine to vibrate or silent, though.</p>
<p>Sls, Mr B has an iPhone 4 (not even 4s), and there is a dnd button. It is in Notifications.</p>
<p>That is so weird, Bunsen. I do not have it on my Iphone4. Just looked - again. I have it on my Ipad and my son has on Iphone5. I wonder why? </p>
<p>I work with clients and often get text messages late into the night, so would love to be able to set to do not disturb for certain hours!</p>
<h1>14: My daughter’s iPhone 5 went off twice during the middle of the night - with loud siren tones. It scared the daylights out of her - she was home alone at the time. She’s turned the feature off. I assume H and I didn’t get the alerts because we were in an area with no service.</h1>
<p>I do think a siren is overkill…with the technology we have it should be possible to moderate the notification tone based on time of day. Also, I imagine if I were driving along and my phone started to make siren noises it would not be a positive effect on my driving.</p>
<p>I don’t understand. Are these Amber Alerts sent out locally, or are you getting Amber Alerts for missing children thousands of miles away from you? </p>
<p>We ported our home phone number in New Jersey on to my wife’s cell phone. Now that we live in North Carolina she gets the occasional reverse 911 phone call from our old town in New Jersey. Sometimes it’s pretty funny, like when a bear was spotted within the town limits. :D</p>
<p>Agree, dietz - a siren as the default sound is an absolute overkill! I wonder if this is a hardware feature (then who was the dim bulb at Apple who thought that this would be a good idea?) or if this is something that is embedded in the alarm itself and cannot be easily changed like a ringtone or other sound? It defeats the purpose and has an opposite effect if it makes people turn the alarm completely off and miss the next notification! A silent popup on my screen worked for me - I checked the news as soon as I got the message, and as I was driving home I was paying attention to every little bright blue hatchback.</p>
<p>So glad the girl has been found alive! And a lot of the future taxpayers’ money has been saved…</p>
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<p>Have you updated your iphone with the latest iOS? I never used to do any updating on my iphone, but I recently did it and all kinds of new features appeared.</p>
<p>I think I’m just getting reasonably local alerts. We got one here in NY a few weeks ago, and one in CA last week for abductions. We’ve gotten a fair number of weather alerts for quite a while.</p>
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<p>I have a 4S with updated iOS (ver. 6.1.3). No alert here, although da’ wife, who has a 5, received one.</p>
<p>The siren alerts are a HUGE reason why this system needs to be changed! For people like me, who process loud, high-pitched sounds as physical pain, this doesn’t make me more alert–it just makes me terrified of my own phone. There needs to be an option to make the alert system vibrate only and change the tone or something.</p>
<p>my bad, my son tells me I only have a 4, so no alerts for me.</p>
<p>On iphone
Go to settings
Do not disturb control panel, is immediately above notifications.</p>
<p>I have not upgraded to latest version of IOS. Once I do, I will have to upgrade computer. My laptop is too old to work with this version, apparently (2008 white macbook)</p>
<p>That must be why I don’t have that setting on my phone.</p>
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<p>Not on mine ver. I don’t have a DND nor ‘notifications’ panel.</p>