AT&T has started to push out a carrier update that will now allow owners of various versions of Apple's iPhone to receive important Wireless Emergency Alerts. The update itself is mandatory, in that users have no way to decline it once they get the message that the over-the-air update has been installed.
Before you start worrying that your device is about to be inundated with emergency messages of all kinds – including zombie attacks – know that it is possible to turn of notifications for AMBER Alerts and Emergency Alerts within your iPhone's settings menu. Although, given the nature of the alerts, it might be in your best interests to keep then enabled for now.
The alerts – mandated by law, notes AT&T – don't use up any texts or data on your device when they're sent out. They're also geographically targeted; Obviously, you'd probably wouldn't be that interested to know that a tornado is bearing down on some city a few states away versus, say, one that's about to hit your hometown.
"Participating wireless providers are generally required to send the alerts to a geographic area no larger than the county or counties affected by the emergency situation. In some cases, however, participating carriers may be able to target alerts to smaller areas," reads a FAQ on the Federal Communications Commission's website.
The only alert that users can't technically opt out of are "Presidential Alerts," which are exactly what the phrase sounds like – alerts issued by the President or a designee. That's one of the caveats of the Wireless Alert and Response Network Act that established the national emergency alert system starting in 2006.
The update is currently targeting users of Apple's iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S, although Apple Insider reports that iPhone 4 owners are allegedly also receiving the over-the-air update in some areas. If you happen to be running an older version of iOS that doesn't support the over-the-air update feature, your phone will receive the update the next time you connected it up to your system and fire up iTunes.
And while some might be a bit leery of the service based on all the recent NSA surveillance hubbub, the FCC notes that these Wireless Emergency Alerts are completely one-way.
"WEA is not designed to – and does not – track the location of anyone receiving a WEA alert," reads the FCC's FAQ.
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