AusAlert Live: Millions of Australians receive loud alarm on phone, as reports of failed alerts flood in

That ends our rolling coverage of the federal government’s AusAlert test.

Thank you for reading.

While millions of phones failed to receive the emergency alert test, the government has hailed the trial largely a success – with 94 per cent of towers broadcasting it to devices around the country.

So what happens now?

The government will investigate the outcome of today’s test before it rolls the service out nationally in October.

From then, the alerts will be used to warn residents of real-life emergencies, such as bushfires or threats to public safety.

For more, visit nine.com.au.

McBain said AusAlert will be the lead emergency agency used in times of disaster amid concerns from states and territories that each have their own systems.

“We’ve worked really closely with our state and territory partners, and we’ll continue to do so,” she said.

“At the end of the day, 99 per cent of the time, states and territories will be using this system and it’ll be the lead emergency agency, of whatever the event is, that’ll be sending out these notifications to advise people of what the incident is, how serious it is, and where it’s located, and where you can go for more advice.”

States and territories had previously raised concerns about whether it will be able to contact landlines for remote households.

The government insisted that the Emergency Alert system, which has the capability for an automated voice to deliver messages to landlines, will continue to run alongside AusAlert for the 12 per cent of Australians with a landline and 2 per cent reliant on a landline.

McBain reminded anyone who has a second phone for safety reasons, primarily domestic violence victims, to keep it turned off or in aeroplane mode for 24 hours out of an abundance of caution.

The alerts were sent out from 2pm to 2.15pm AEST.

Phones that were on silent mode or do not disturb still heard the alert.

“We worked really closely with family and domestic violence organisations who have created a safe phone guide,” McBain said.

The National Emergency Management Agency will review today’s test and make any necessary changes so it is ready to use when AusAlert is officially rolled out in October.

“Today’s test was all about understanding how AusAlert performed at scale across millions of devices and at hundreds of different environments,” NEMA interim coordinator-general Patrick Hetherington said.

“NEMA will now assess all of the data, including reports from our technical and operational partners, jurisdictions, and community feedback.

“We’ll do a deep dive into all aspects of today’s test and make any necessary modifications to the system so that AusAlert is ready for the Australian government and emergency service organisations to use from October 2026.”

Nine.com.au reader Julia said she received the alert twice in the space of 10 minutes.

“I was out walking my dogs when it alerted. I clicked ‘OK’ for the first one and it disappeared from my screen,” Julia said.“Five to 10 minutes later, it alerted again.”

The alarm seemed to arrive without incident for many regional Australians.

Reader David said he went to a “dead spot” for mobile service and was still able to hear and see the alarm on his phone.

Some phones displayed the words “presidential alert” instead of “critical AusAlert”.

If you are thinking, “Wait a minute, we don’t have a president here in Australia”, you’d be correct.

This wording appeared on some older phones that are programmed slightly differently. It is nothing to worry about.

We don’t suddenly have a presidential system of government.

Australians have taken to social media to report they did not get the AusAlert test on their phones.

While some phone users experienced delays, many say they still haven’t received it.

“15 minutes after the national test and my phone hasn’t gone off,” one person said on X.

“I didn’t get an AusAlert, is the government mad at me?” another joked.

If you were outside in public at exactly 2pm, you would have heard dozens of alarms sound simultaneously.

Nine.com.au reporter Patrick Brischetto caught the moment the alert pinged phones in the middle of Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building.

But it didn’t cause (much) panic. Everyone appeared to be going about their business as usual.

The alert did not notify every phone consistently.

This reporter somehow stopped the sound within milliseconds by screenshotting the alert, while another nine.com.au reporter said he got the alert at 2.03pm.

A third reporter said he never even received the alarm on his device.