# 10/3 @ 2:18PM...Anyone turning off their phone? \[Presidential alert test\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 18, 2018, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538 "2018-09-18T15:22:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/1 "2018-09-18T15:22:46Z")
The question says it all. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/2 "2018-09-18T15:27:01Z")
I’m not. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/3 "2018-09-18T15:27:45Z")
I don’t really think it does. I presume that time is when there will be a test of the Presidential Alert System. This will cause a sound to play on your phone and an alert saying that it is only a test. There is no way to actually turn this feature off. Since I am at home all day, I let my mother use my cell phone, and I doubt she is going to bother to turn it off. If it wasn’t going to go off on everyone else’s, I could see it getting her in trouble. But, since it will happen to everyone, it’ll be fine. If I had a phone at home, I might at least try to turn it off, if I remember. I would just be curious what would happen: would I get the alert as soon as I turn the phone back on? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/4 "2018-09-18T15:29:35Z")
Why would I turn my phone off on 10/3 at 2:18pm? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/5 "2018-09-18T15:42:41Z")
Will this text make it through any white-listing applications that can be run? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/6 "2018-09-18T15:48:21Z")
> [@ZurBob](#): > > The question says it all. No it doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/7 "2018-09-18T15:50:22Z")
One of the many reasons I’m glad I kept my landline. I don’t think I have to worry and if something does get through I have the answering machine screening all the time. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/8 "2018-09-18T15:52:18Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Why would I turn my phone off on 10/3 at 2:18pm? It is the time of the test of the new emergency alert system that will go out to most cell phones. Some are flipping out that Trump is going to use the test in some nefarious way. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/9 "2018-09-18T15:57:28Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > There is no way to actually turn this feature off. Feature, huh. Yeah, I’m not at all happy about the situation. I have a reminder set on my phone so that I can turn my phone off and take a knee at the agreed upon time. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/10 "2018-09-18T16:02:55Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Feature, huh. Yeah, I’m not at all happy about the situation. I have a reminder set on my phone so that I can turn my phone off and take a knee at the agreed upon time. Take a knee? That shows respect. I’ma take shit. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/11 "2018-09-18T16:09:56Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Feature, huh. Yeah, I’m not at all happy about the situation. I have a reminder set on my phone so that I can turn my phone off and take a knee at the agreed upon time. So you WANT soldiers to die? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/12 "2018-09-18T16:17:41Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > So you WANT soldiers to die? Of course! Enemy soldiers gotta die. ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/13 "2018-09-18T16:47:45Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > No it doesn’t. What part confuses you? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/14 "2018-09-18T16:49:27Z")
> [@ZurBob](#): > > What part confuses you? The context. The “Why?” You provided neither of those things in your OP. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/15 "2018-09-18T16:51:32Z")
I’m not. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/16 "2018-09-18T17:06:17Z")
> [@ZurBob](#): > > What part confuses you? Your op is incredibly incomplete. This is not a well known “issue”. Next time please provide some context, you failed to supply even a link to the context which is a crappy setup for an op, but this op takes it to the next step of empty content. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/17 "2018-09-18T17:45:36Z")
I’m not going to turn off my land line phone. I’m a rebel that way. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/18 "2018-09-18T17:55:19Z")
Here is a [helpful link](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/mobile/fema-s-presidential-alert-test-postponed-some-americans-want-disconnect-n910406) on what is going on. People are fearing the President will abuse it and send us all Tweet-like guidance, rather than emergency alerts. Good points being made that we already have emergency alert systems in place at the state and local level, so why this? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/19 "2018-09-18T18:00:26Z")
Oh Christ I can’t wait for “DemocRATS impeached me based on FAKE NEWS! The Constitution is hereby temporarily suspended” ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538/20 "2018-09-18T18:03:43Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Good points being made that we already have emergency alert systems in place at the state and local level, so why this? T-man can’t send us dickpix through the emergency alert system. Or remind us to vote for him. And remind us to seek out and report potentially illegal occupants of the USA. Or brownies. Or furrners in general. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-3-2-18pm-anyone-turning-off-their-phone-presidential-alert-test/821538.md?page=2)