# Oh. My. Goodness. -- iPhone Amber Alert Scared da Crap Outta me Wife **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 6, 2013, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476 "2013-08-06T06:06:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [August 6, 2013, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/1 "2013-08-06T06:06:08Z")
My iPhone 4S just went off in the San Francisco Bay Area. First time ever, for an Amber Alert. Loud. Obnoxious. It sounded like an air raid. AT&T iPhone users, beware. They pushed this “feature” out recently, defaulted to On. I don’t recall being notified of that - ahem - _feature upgrade_. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2013, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/2 "2013-08-06T06:11:54Z")
It’s 11pm here(!). Go to: Settings \> Notifications: scroll to bottom; “Government Alerts” Two alerts, defaulted to On: Amber Alerts and Emergency Alerts (includes weather…). There are also Presidential Alerts, but these cannot be configured. An article said none have ever been issued. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/3 "2013-08-06T10:22:39Z")
Yeah, I had one a couple months back alerting me of flooding around 7 am, here in the Chicago area. A bit disconcerting when it hasn’t done that before. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/4 "2013-08-06T10:37:25Z")
Had this happen a few weeks ago, too, at something like 4:30 in the morning. Very obnoxious. The Amber Alert was for someone in Cleveland. :rolleyes: This brand of notifications arrived with a popup about carrier settings being updated. Would have been nice if they’d included an explanation then. You only get a popup if you have your phone on vibrate. Apparently iPhones were the last smartphones to get these alerts. Really unnecessary, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/5 "2013-08-06T10:51:17Z")
Yeah, it’s all smartphones. A few months ago I had an amber alert from Texas drain my battery during a Saturday shift (I’m in Chicago), because I didn’t know about the settings. I _think_ the amber alert had some Chicago connection which was why it was going off here, too. It made 7 or 8 alerts through the evening, and then my text settings are set to remind me every 10 minutes if I haven’t cleared them. So by the end of a few hours, I had 8 texts going off every 10 minutes each and killed my battery while I was on the treatment room floor and my bag was in my locker. I think the carriers still have some bugs to work out. In the meantime I have it all shut off. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/6 "2013-08-06T10:59:35Z")
> [@echo7tango](#): > > Presidential Alerts, but these cannot be configured. An article said none have ever been issued. I had to Google this, as I have no smartphone. Interesting how some folks are spinning it: [AT&T iPhone Users Forced to Receive Obama Alerts Which Can’t Be Turned Off](http://cnsnews.com/blog/joe-schoffstall/att-iphone-users-forced-receive-obama-alerts-which-cant-be-turned) [DHS Cellphone Alert System ‘Follows You Around’](http://www.infowars.com/dhs-cellphone-alert-system-follows-you-around/) (Nobody has been forced to receive anything and no more following takes place with this feature than cell phones normally exhibit.) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/7 "2013-08-06T11:34:56Z")
Interesting. We don’t have these in Canada, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/8 "2013-08-06T12:14:26Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Interesting how some folks are spinning it: > [AT&T iPhone Users Forced to Receive Obama Alerts Which Can’t Be Turned Off](http://cnsnews.com/blog/joe-schoffstall/att-iphone-users-forced-receive-obama-alerts-which-cant-be-turned) Does the iPhone’s menu actually list it as “Obama Alerts”? ---
**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:** [August 6, 2013, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/9 "2013-08-06T12:14:27Z")
I don’t even know Amber. I got a severe weather alert that interrupted my beer drinking. Maybe 3/4 of the bar’s patrons got the same alert. Not one of us bothered to get up and look outside. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2013, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/10 "2013-08-06T12:38:44Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Does the iPhone’s menu actually list it as “Obama Alerts”? There’s no config item at all, so it’s not even listed. The article I read called them Presidential Alerts. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/11 "2013-08-06T12:40:45Z")
I was working in a building that had a large, open floor plan with hundreds of cubicles. An Amber alert was issued and the place just echoed with everyone’s smart phone going off. It was kinda creepy. Duh moment - I’m sure everyone here knows the origin, but whenever one is issued, I seem to come across someone who thinks the name comes from the color, probably due to previously used HLS color coded threat levels. It is an acronym, but it originated from a girl who was murdered named Amber. Your obvious fact for the day. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/12 "2013-08-06T17:18:13Z")
That’s good to know, **echo7tango**. I’m not up on all these newfangled gadgets these days, and when and if I get an iPhone, an Amber alert would probably give me a heart attack, too. Also good to know I can shut them off. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/13 "2013-08-06T17:21:56Z")
It’s on all smartphones. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/14 "2013-08-06T17:37:15Z")
I have a dumbphone - it doesn’t even take pictures or do my laundry or anything. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/15 "2013-08-06T17:41:32Z")
I don’t use my smartphone for making calls. 😃 It’s my portable calendar, GPS unit, E-mail device, text sender/receiver, web browser, camera, Facebook interface, recipe collection, medical history recorder, etc., etc… If I get/make a call a week, that’s a lot for me. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/16 "2013-08-06T17:57:48Z")
I got this also. Scared the crap out of me. I guess if you don’t know where the hell the location of the alert is you can ignore it. It was oh the freeway signs this morning also. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/17 "2013-08-06T18:37:56Z")
We were rudely awakened at 1 AM by an amber alert last week. I was so confused I thought it was the smoke detector. Best part: the alert was for Tom Green County, 250 miles from here. Thanks AT&T! ---
**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:** [August 6, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/18 "2013-08-06T18:41:20Z")
Last night’s Amber Alert was for all of California. The incident was for a kidnapping in Boulevard, CA. No idea where that is so I found it on the map very close to the Mexico border. With me up near San Francisco, over 500 miles away, even Phoenix AZ is much closer at less than 300 miles away. Las Vegas is too, at less than 400 miles. No idea if AZ or NV people got the late night obnoxious alarm also. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/19 "2013-08-06T18:41:36Z")
Based on the stories I’ve been reading about this today, I’m really glad I keep my phone on vibrate (and generally not near me when I’m sleeping). This morning, I picked up my phone and saw a red exclamation point icon that I’d never seen before. When I clicked on it, it showed me the alert, and then gave me the option of receiving future alerts or turning that feature off. I kept it on. I try my damndest to pay attention to Amber Alerts, just in case. Android, Motorola Razr MAXX, if anyone cares. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476/20 "2013-08-06T18:46:32Z")
Look I don’t have an issue with Amber Alerts. Generally I think the idea is good. The main issue I have is with AT&T enabling the option without my knowledge, and the alert sound is so obnoxious, just like the Emergency Broadcasting Alert tests. We weren’t quite asleep at 11pm when it went off. I’m glad it wasn’t 3am. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-goodness-iphone-amber-alert-scared-da-crap-outta-me-wife/665476.md?page=2)