Today (December 8) all cell phones ring at the same time – problems with the all-clear

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Created: 12/08/2022, 12:19 p.m

Of: Clara Veiga Pinto, Diana Rissman, Kilian Bäuml, Sarah Neumeyer

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Today, on December 8th, all mobile phones in Germany are supposed to ring at once or get a notification – the reason for this is very important.

+++ 12.14 p.m.: At 11.45 a.m. on today’s warning day, the all-clear should be sent to all mobile phones via cell broadcast. “Against 11.45 a.m. an all-clear will be sent,” said the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK). Apparently that didn’t work for some people. “Shouldn’t there also be an all-clear,” asks a Twitter user. Another user reports that he received neither an “all clear SMS” nor an all clear message via KATWARN or NINA. “The all-clear went worse. You could hear a siren, NINA only shows it in the app without notification, cell broadcast didn’t come this time,” another.

Warning day: Today (December 8th) all mobile phones are ringing at the same time – problems with NINA and KATWARN?

+++ 11.47 a.m.: On the warning day, some cell phone users reported problems with various warning apps. On December 8th at 11 a.m. all cell phones registered and switched on in Germany should receive a warning message. Appropriate notifications should also be sent via warning apps. On the portal allertoerungen.de Malfunction reports for the KATWARN and NINA apps were received shortly after 11 a.m. “Nina doesn’t work for me again. There was zero,” writes one user.

Warning day: Today (December 8th) all mobile phones in Germany are ringing at the same time – day a success?

+++ 11.28 a.m.: Many users on Twitter are currently reporting that the warning day has triggered a cell phone alarm for them. Many are amused by the loud alarm sound. But not everyone’s smartphone rang. Some also reported that the warning day was a total failure for them. “Nothing. No SMS, no alarm sound. But Spotify works perfectly,” tweeted one user. A

Update from Thursday, December 8th, 11:06 am: Shortly before 11 a.m., many mobile phones in Germany received a warning with a loud alarm tone. Behind this is a test warning on the occasion of the warning day, which is intended to determine how easily people in Germany can be reached in an emergency. Some cell phones have not received a warning message, there can be various reasons for this, such as the smartphone’s operating system.

Today (December 8th) all mobile phones in Germany are ringing at the same time – that’s what’s behind it

First report: Kassel – Big things are planned for December. All cell phones registered in Germany should receive a notification at once. There is a test behind this: It should be determined how easily the German population can be reached in an emergency.

To ensure that the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) reaches the population in the best possible way, several communication channels will be tried out this year. A new technology is also to be used, which sends an SMS with a warning tone to all mobile phones.

Cell phone rings on December 8th: Warning day in Germany is supposed to rehearse emergencies

The whole thing is called warning day and has already taken place in a similar form. On September 10, 2020, for the first time since German reunification, an attempt was made to reach the entire population with the help of sirens, but with moderate success. In many places only a soft whirring or no sirens could be heard. “We have to be better prepared for crisis situations such as extreme weather, forest fires or floods in the future,” said Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.

Two years later, people are focusing on technology and trying to take advantage of people’s new daily companion – the mobile phone. A new technology is also to be used in all 294 districts and 107 urban districts in Germany: cell broadcast. The BKK is currently working under high pressure together with the mobile network operators to introduce this new warning channel. For him, December 8th at 11 a.m. is supposed to be a first test run.

Warning day on December 8th: message and alarm tone should come via mobile phone

In the future, the BKK wants to rely entirely on this technology. With cell broadcast, messages can be sent to all users of a radio cell. “With the nationwide warning day 2022, an intensive test phase for cell broadcast will also be initiated,” said BKK President Ralph Tiesler.

In contrast to other warning systems such as NINA or Katwarn, you don’t need an app to be alerted. When the warning text arrives, a loud acoustic signal sounds. You also don’t have to open a notification app to read SMS, since the warning text appears on the screen without any additional application. The BKK reports that social media and the warning apps should also send warning messages on December 8th. Media such as television and radio should also be used.

Mobile phones in Germany will receive a warning tone on December 8th

The reason for the introduction of cell broadcast in Germany was the severe storm in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate in July 2021, which killed dozens. The flood disaster showed that the warning apps and classic sirens were not sufficient to warn the population of the danger across the board. Cell broadcast is already in use in other EU countries.

Warning day in Germany: cell phone rings on December 8th

In order for people in Germany to be able to receive the warnings, a mobile phone or smartphone that is compatible with Cell Broadcast must be switched on and ready to receive. In addition, only devices with newer operating systems receive the message: Apple’s iPhone with operating system versions iOS 16, 15.7.1 and 15.6.1. and for Android devices from version 11.

But not only the mobile phones will ring on the warning day. Districts and municipalities can also decide whether they should also use sirens or other loudspeaker announcements as warning devices. The all-clear should also be given a short time later using the same routes that are used for the test warning.

This year on December 8th – after that the warning day should take place every year in September

In the future, a warning day is to take place every year in order to improve the acceptance and knowledge of the population in emergencies. This should increase the ability to protect yourself in the event of a disaster, such as flooding. It is to take place every year on the second Sunday in September.

The BKK should be responsible for preparing the warning day at the federal level, which works together with the interior ministries and municipalities at the state level, which are responsible for civil protection. In the future, means of communication such as the NINA warning app could also be used to transmit information from the Ministry of Health, for example in the context of the corona pandemic. (Kilian Baeuml)