"Wireless emergency alerts" app appeared on my phone. Where from?

[isaanistical]

Coincidence? This am I read (in a media we don't mention) about a 'mobile phone emergency warning system ready next year'. 

 

Hours later, looking for something else, I see an app called "wireless emergency alerts", which I'll swear was not there last time I looked. it is in the app list in Settings but no icon on app pages, and it has all manner of permissions I can't turn off. All I can do is turn it to silent.

 

I'm on dtac. Anyone else got this, or has it always been there? Should I worry? My phone is quite new and not cheap, so I don't really want to root it and risk bricking it.

Edited October 6, 2023 by isaanistical
found tech term

[metisdead]

Moved to the Mobile Devices & Apps forum. 

[novacova]

I have a new iPhone on ais, and I don’t see anything that resembles of what you have. Did you acquire the phone from dtac? Do you have a dtac app on the phone? Maybe it’s something that auto download via dtac app?

Edited October 6, 2023 by novacova

[Crossy]

Also, nothing on my AiS Samsung (not bought via AiS).

 

[Crossy]

But then: -

 

 

[isaanistical]

5 minutes ago, novacova said:

I have a new iPhone on ais, and I don’t see anything that resembles of what you have. Did you acquire the phone from dtac? Do you have a dtac app on the phone? Maybe it’s something that auto download via dtac app?

(should have said it's android). That occurred to me. dtac installed its app as soon as I inserted the sim, so perhaps it could be. But why now and, more significantly, how do I get rid of it? I have already disabled alerts in Settings (>advanced settings >wireless emergency alerts) but it still appears on the Apps list and shows no means of turning off permissions.

[metisdead]

A post with a derogatory slang comment toward Americans contravening our Community Standards has been removed.

[novacova]

11 minutes ago, isaanistical said:

(should have said it's android). That occurred to me. dtac installed its app as soon as I inserted the sim, so perhaps it could be. But why now and, more significantly, how do I get rid of it? I have already disabled alerts in Settings (>advanced settings >wireless emergency alerts) but it still appears on the Apps list and shows no means of turning off permissions.

Then, if possible, uninstall the dtac app and anything else that is associated with dtac. It’s been awhile since I used android though I recall a file app that be used to search for sub-apps and access to delete, rooting not necessary to run.
Maybe the annoying isn’t anything to be concerned about? Though personally I don’t want anything on my phone without my authorization.

Edited October 6, 2023 by novacova

[isaanistical]

Just now, novacova said:

Then, if possible, uninstall the dtac app and anything else that is associated with dtac. It’s been awhile since I used android though I recall a file app that be used to search for sub-apps and access to delete, rooting not necessary to run 

Cheers, but not possible. The dtac app just automatically reappears every time I insert the sim. It's usually quite benign - but I cant see whether it's caused this alerts thing.

[novacova]

1 minute ago, isaanistical said:

Cheers, but not possible. The dtac app just automatically reappears every time I insert the sim. It's usually quite benign - but I cant see whether it's caused this alerts thing.

It must be mandatory. Just curious, is it a new sim?

[isaanistical]

1 minute ago, novacova said:

Just curious, is it a new sim?

4 years old (the actual card, not just the a/c)

[007 RED]

25 minutes ago, isaanistical said:

(should have said it's android). That occurred to me. dtac installed its app as soon as I inserted the sim, so perhaps it could be. But why now and, more significantly, how do I get rid of it? I have already disabled alerts in Settings (>advanced settings >wireless emergency alerts) but it still appears on the Apps list and shows no means of turning off permissions.

I have a Samsung S22 Ultra, and it has a facility to both send and receive emergency messages.    My service provider is AIS and my SIM is about 15 years old.

 

As you mentioned in your original post, the 'app' does not appear under the Apps setting. 

 

Go to your Settings (little gear clog), and then scroll down until you come to a feature entitled 'Safety and Emergency'.  If you click on this it will take you to a new page which lists facilities which can be activated if you so wish, such as:

 

Medical Info

Emergency contacts

Emergency SOS

Emergency sharing

Earthquake alerts

Unknown tracker alerts

Silent notification when driving

Emergency location service

Wireless emergency alerts

 

You will find that by clicking on each of the above mentioned topics, you can setup what you want to do (turn on/off), who to send an emergency message to etc.

 

If you have activated any of the above mentioned facilities, you may find that they are also listed under your contact details (My profile).

 

Personally I think its a nice facility which if I'm in trouble (taken ill), and able to press the power button 5 times, my phone will send an emergency message to my designated contact(s) giving them my location.

 

So hopefully this is what you are looking for and you can turn on/off any facilities without having to 'brick' your phone.

 

Good luck.

Edited October 6, 2023 by 007 RED
typo

[isaanistical]

25 minutes ago, 007 RED said:

Wireless emergency alerts

 

You will find that by clicking on each of the above mentioned topics, you can setup what you want to do (turn on/off), who to send an emergency message to etc.

cheers but the last of these is already turned off, yet as I said earlier the app is still in the apps-list and has no means of turning off all the permissions.

What puzzles me most is that I am fairly sure it only appeared today, or very recently. I'm it may be a security problem.

[topt]

On 10/6/2023 at 4:33 PM, isaanistical said:

Anyone else got this, or has it always been there?

AIS sim last renewed about 3 years ago and even though my phone is rooted I have the same appearing in my list of system apps - not in the app drawer as a regular app.

It only has permissions for SMS.

Under Apps and Notifications there is a heading for Emergency Alerts with settings to Allow or not and what level of alert to allow plus some other settings - IE different to 007 Red list above who probably has a more recent version of Android.

 

Even though rooted I cannot remove/disable from the app settings.

 

 

[EVENKEEL]

On 10/6/2023 at 2:33 AM, isaanistical said:

Coincidence? This am I read (in a media we don't mention) about a 'mobile phone emergency warning system ready next year'. 

 

Hours later, looking for something else, I see an app called "wireless emergency alerts", which I'll swear was not there last time I looked. it is in the app list in Settings but no icon on app pages, and it has all manner of permissions I can't turn off. All I can do is turn it to silent.

 

I'm on dtac. Anyone else got this, or has it always been there? Should I worry? My phone is quite new and not cheap, so I don't really want to root it and risk bricking it.

I'm in the US visiting, had the same few days ago, I don't know what is was. 

[Chris Daley]

They have this in England as well.  But it's more intrusive.  It can actually turn on your phone, vibrate, sound a siren and send you a message.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 10/6/2023 at 5:21 PM, isaanistical said:

 I read (in a media we don't mention) about a 'mobile phone emergency warning system ready next year' ...The dtac app just automatically reappears every time I insert the sim. It's usually quite benign - but I cant see whether it's caused this alerts thing.

"...in a media we don't mention..."

The Bangkok Post reported that a couple of days ago, also.

 

It's got to be your phone (or your government), not the SIM, it's not an automatic download from Dtac.   I have a Dtac SIM so I get the Dtac app but do not have the app you mention.   It cannot be courtesy of Dtac, if it was, everyone on Dtac would have it also.

Edited October 8, 2023 by Liverpool Lou

[EVENKEEL]

29 minutes ago, Chris Daley said:

They have this in England as well.  But it's more intrusive.  It can actually turn on your phone, vibrate, sound a siren and send you a message.

Mine did the alarm while driving with gps

[isaanistical]

23 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"...in a media we don't mention..."

The Bangkok Post reported that a couple of days ago, also.

 

It's got to be your phone (or your government), not the SIM, it's not an automatic download from Dtac.   I have a Dtac SIM so I get the Dtac app but do not have the app you mention.   It cannot be courtesy of Dtac, if it was, everyone on Dtac would have it also.

ok so you don't see it, which was part of the question some days ago. The source was the one you now quote. 

What's this about

 

"your phone (or your government)"?

 

Helpful as ever.............

 

 

[isaanistical]

Just now, isaanistical said:

ok so you don't see it, which was part of the question some days ago. The source was the one you now mention. 

What's this about

 

"your phone (or your government)"?

 

Helpful as ever.............

 

 

 

[isaanistical]

23 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

They have this in England as well.  But it's more intrusive.  It can actually turn on your phone, vibrate, sound a siren and send you a message.

You would think in England it would be sirening 24 hours a day. What a #####

[KhunBENQ]

On 10/8/2023 at 8:45 PM, EVENKEEL said:

I'm in the US visiting, had the same few days ago, I don't know what is was. 

I was not in the US but at Google and being quite puzzled that "Wireless Emergency Alerts" comes up as US specific alert system?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_Emergency_Alerts

 

It does not look like the system that I heard about called "Cell Broadcast" which has just recently been tested in Germany.

(same as planned for Thailand following post above)

 

To the OP: you don't have a second SIM in the phone?

You have not been in the US with the phone?

You have not purchased and used the phone in the US?

Edited October 9, 2023 by KhunBENQ

[Liverpool Lou]

13 hours ago, isaanistical said:

ok so you don't see it, which was part of the question some days ago. The source was the one you now quote. 

What's this about

 

"your phone (or your government)"?

 

Helpful as ever.............

Yes, it was helpful in relation to what you asked.  The problem isn't the SIM, as I helpfully, explained so it must be the phone or whatever entity is feeding that alert to the phone, as I also helpfully explained.  

Edited October 10, 2023 by Liverpool Lou

[isaanistical]

On 10/9/2023 at 2:00 PM, KhunBENQ said:

To the OP: you don't have a second SIM in the phone?

You have not been in the US with the phone?

You have not purchased and used the phone in the US?

No

Good g0d no!

No

 

But I tried my SIM in another phone that Ikeep as a spare, and the dreaded alert did not appear although the dreaded DTAc cr@p did.

I suspect that without rooting (the phone, that is), I'm not going to solve this.