THE NATIONAL alert system known as Amber Alerts was first launched in the late 1990s.
Most Apple and Android phones now have the ability to send Amber Alerts to their users through an automated system.
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How can I turn off Amber Alerts?
Most modern phones have a default setting to send Amber Alerts to users in an area where a child has been abducted.
Even if a phone is silenced, an Amber Alert will likely cause it to ring.
They can be issued at any hour of the day.
iPhone users can turn off the alert by following these steps:
- Go to Settings – Notifcations
- Scroll to Government Alerts section
- Toggle off Amber Alerts and/or any other Emergency Alerts
Android users can turn off the alert by following these steps:
- Go to Settings – Apps & notifications
- Click Advanced
- Select Wireless emergency alerts
- Toggle off Amber Alerts
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What other emergency alerts do cell phones send users?
According to the United States Government, citizens of the country with working, modern cell phones are subject to receiving the following alerts:
- Alerts issued by the President of the United States
- Alerts involving imminent threats to safety or life
- Amber Alerts about missing children
- Alerts conveying recommendations for saving lives and property
These alerts can be issued in regards to an endangered missing person – Silver or Amber Alerts – severe weather, or a local crime spree.
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What is an Amber Alert?
An Amber Alert is a message delivered by a warning system that asks the public for help in finding missing children.
It launched in 1996 when Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters teamed with local police to develop an alert system.
There are guidelines for Amber Alerts, including a required “reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred.”
Authorities must also believe the child is in “imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.”
Enough descriptive information of the child must be provided to the public in order for the alert to be useful.
The missing child must be 17 years old or younger.
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