Mobile phones across Australia should have received an alert today for a government test, but not everyone did. What happened?
The last Monday in July was bound to be an interesting one, as 2PM Sydney time would see a test play out across mobile phones and wearables owned by millions of Australians.
When the time crossed over to 2PM, the government triggered an emergency alert system meant to replace the ageing emergency broadcast system used with radio and TV. This time, it would go to phones, because we all have them and rely on them more often than turning on the TV.
The idea is everyone would simply check their phone or watch to read a critical alert when it mattered for them. But the practical nature of it all meant that things didn’t exactly work for everyone. What happened?
Pickr’s editor Leigh Stark joined ABC Melbourne Drive with Charlie Pickering to dive into some of what happened, comparing notes, and talking about some of the reasons why not everyone saw the alert. Check out the segment over at the ABC, which dives into why some phones didn’t see the alert.
