NL-Alert test scheduled for later today

Authorities will test the Dutch national warning system, NL-Alert, at noon on Monday. The loud, piercing sound of the notification will announce the arrival of the notification on charged and mobile phone connected in the Netherlands. People are advised against wearing earbuds and headphones when the alert is sent.

The system is generally used to warn people in a wider area in an emergency. This includes storms, fires, or in other urgent situations, like when the 1-1-2 emergency phone lines were unavailable due to an outage.

"This will sound different than a normal message," the government said. Anyone with their phone turned on and connected to a mobile network should receive the alert, including when mobile networks are overloaded. In the past, people in border areas connected to Belgian or German cellular towers have missed out on receiving the test message.

Some older phones, or phones which use older mobile networks may not be able to receive the message. Additionally, phones have to be active, and not using airplane mode.

Anyone with an Apple iPhone can make sure their phones are configured by navigating to Settings, then Notifications, and checking if "Emergency Notifications" are enabled. Android users can activate notifications of "Extreme Alerts" by navigating to Settings, then Emergency Alerts. Owners of phones produced by Samsung may have different menu options before they can get to Message Settings. From there they should be able to see settings for Emergency Notifications.

"An NL-Alert always states what is going on, what you should do and where you can find more information," the government said. "In addition, NL-Alert can be seen on more and more digital advertising screens and public transportation travel information screens."

NL-Alert is tested twice annually, typically on the first Mondays in December and June, unless it conflicts with a holiday. The test message does not require a phone user to take action. After Monday's test, the next test is scheduled for 5 June 2023 at noon.