Finland will send emergency alerts directly to phones

Finland will introduce a new emergency alert channel in November, sending warnings directly to phones, Yle reports, citing the Ministry of the Interior.

The FI-Alert system will send alerts to phones in a specified area through the networks of all mobile operators.

It will work on 4G and 5G phones and will not require users to download an app or register for the service.

Alerts will appear on screen as distinct warning notifications, not ordinary text messages. They will also sound even if a phone is set to silent.