# Repeating amber alert **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 20, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309 "2023-07-20T16:10:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/1 "2023-07-20T16:10:22Z")
I don’t know where exactly this should go but I’m about to lose my mind. There was an amber alert yesterday. Now, every time I turn my phone on or turn wifi on or off, the alert happens again. Every single time. I’ve googled and everything that I can find says to turn off “government alerts…”. I’m in Canada and we don’t have this option. Does anybody have any idea how to get it to stop? Iphone SE iOS 16.5.1 ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/2 "2023-07-20T16:16:19Z")
Going to the notification center and swiping left on the alert doesn’t work for you? ---
**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:** [July 20, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/3 "2023-07-20T16:16:25Z")
Settings…Notifications…Amber Alerts(toggle off). ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/4 "2023-07-20T16:19:46Z")
There is no ‘alerts’ on my list. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/5 "2023-07-20T16:22:27Z")
Can’t help you. I’ve gotten alerts but only once each time. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/6 "2023-07-20T16:25:49Z")
I don’t think we can disable them up here in Canuckistan. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/7 "2023-07-20T18:12:52Z")
It’s still doing it 😩 😩 eta apparently it’s doing it on my mom’s phone as well so that makes me feel a bit better. At least there isn’t just an issue with my phone. ---
**Author:** ![Keith1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Keith1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith1)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2023, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/8 "2023-07-20T20:20:55Z")
I can acknowledge it by clicking ‘OK’, or something like that, and it seems to stop it from recurring most times. Otherwise I’ll just turn off my phone or TV, because yes, it can be annoying. Especially given that it’s generally a heads up to be on the lookout for a particular car. Wouldn’t you be breaking the law by looking at your phone while driving to confirm the license number or car model??? And if you’re home sleeping, are you supposed to run outside to be on the lookout? Slim chance since the alert can be 1,000 miles away. I don’t think TV weather alerts can be dismissed without turning off. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/9 "2023-07-21T05:28:38Z")
Thank god it stopped. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/10 "2023-07-21T05:59:27Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Settings…Notifications…Amber Alerts(toggle off). In Canada, amber alerts apparently use the same alert code as an imminent nuclear war, so there is no way to disable them. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2023, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/11 "2023-07-21T11:25:55Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > there is no way to disable them. I guess I’m a bad person. I have amber alerts turned off, but weather alerts turned on. Years ago I had parked my Jeep and was walking to MadMex to meet my gf for dinner. I was ~100 yards from the restaurant when my phone started shrieking about a severe storm approaching. I started jogging and just barely made it before buckets of water began falling. ETA: Is the Canadian setup written into law, or just the way the service providers do things? ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/12 "2023-07-22T06:34:36Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > ETA: Is the Canadian setup written into law, or just the way the service providers do things? Apparently, the law: > [@](#): > > [Given the importance of warning Canadians of imminent threats to the safety of life and property, the CRTC requires wireless service providers to distribute alerts on all compatible wireless devices connected to an LTE or 5G network in the target area. Therefore, it is not possible to opt out of receiving the alerts.](https://support.alertready.ca/hc/en-us/articles/4405946016019-Can-I-opt-out-of-receiving-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:** [July 22, 2023, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/13 "2023-07-22T10:47:01Z")
“Imminent threat to the safety of life and property”? That works for a tornado warning but an amber alert? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/14 "2023-07-22T15:57:10Z")
That’s an imminent threat to someone’s life just not yours. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/15 "2023-07-22T17:43:42Z")
I do not know the procedures in Canada. I did have to speak to the Amber and Silver Alert coordinator in my state on a few occasions several years ago. By design the alerts should be extremely rare. If the alerts go out at most once or twice a year people pay attention. They share information. They try to help. There are rapidly diminishing returns. Send out just a couple too many alerts and people are annoyed. They stop paying attention. It becomes background noise. No tips come in. I would hope that the repeating alert was just a glitch and not by design. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2023, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-amber-alert/987309/16 "2023-07-24T16:06:01Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > That’s an imminent threat to someone’s life just not yours. A huuuugge majority of child abduction (I believe well over 90%) are done by another family member. It doesn’t diminish in any way the children that are abducted for trafficing purposes.