Australia is on the cusp of a major upgrade to its emergency alert system, with a nationwide test set to take place on Monday, 27 July 2026. At precisely 2pm AEST, millions of mobile phones and other compatible devices will simultaneously emit a distinctive siren sound and display an urgent pop-up notification – marking a significant shift from the current SMS-based system that has faced criticism for its limitations during major incidents like last year's Black Summer bushfires.
The new AusAlert system promises to be more efficient, using mobile phone towers to broadcast alerts directly to devices, rather than relying on network providers. This will enable messages to reach a wider audience – even those with their phones set to 'do not disturb' or silent mode – and bypass common bottlenecks that have plagued the existing SMS system during critical situations.
As part of the test, an alert lasting around 10 seconds will be broadcast to compatible devices across Australia's time zones. The pop-up message will clearly state 'TEST MESSAGE – NO ACTION IS REQUIRED' in an effort to familiarise the public with the new mechanism without causing undue alarm. The test is a crucial step towards the official national launch of AusAlert, which has been hailed as 'far superior' by Federal Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain.
The development of AusAlert was driven by the recommendation of the royal commission into the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires, where the existing SMS system proved inadequate in many areas. In particular, residents reported delayed or undelivered emergency messages due to network congestion. The new system will also support 'geofenced' alerts for specific incidents like floods and boil water advisories.
While the majority of devices are expected to be compatible with AusAlert, Nema has identified that those manufactured after 2019 – specifically iPhone models 11 and newer running iOS 26.4 or later, and Apple Watch models SE2, SE3, Series 6 and up running watchOS – will be most likely to receive the alert. The only way for users to avoid receiving the critical message is to turn their mobile device off completely or switch it to 'airplane mode'.