Make Sure Your Phone Doesn't Interrupt A Matinee During October 4th Emergency Alert Test

If you're attending a matinee tomorrow, you'll need to take some extra steps to make sure your phone doesn't interrupt the performance. Even if your phone is set to vibrate and do not disturb, it will still loudly beep unless you take additional steps.

FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) tomorrow, Oct. 4.

The national test will consist of two portions, testing WEA and EAS capabilities. Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 4.

If you'll be at a matinee, or anywhere you don't want your phone loudly buzzing - you can follow these steps to turn off the sound. On an iPhone, from your Settings screen select notifications and scroll all the way to the bottom. You can then toggle off Emergency Alerts, as well as Test Alerts, Public Safety Alerts, and Amber Alerts. 

When you've clicked into the Emergency Alerts window, you'll want to also toggle off Always Play Sound.

On Android devices, in your Settings select the Advance screen. Under Wireless Emergency Alerts, make sure to toggle all options off. Different manufacturers may have different options, including the 'sound' option. For 100% safety, we recommend Android devices be completely powered down when able, due to the variations and unknowns.

After your matinee, don't forget to turn these all back on in order to ensure you receive important notifications for your (and the public) safety.

Of course, the simplest way to ensure your device doesn't beep is to ensure your phone is completely powered down for the duration of the performance.

Photo Credit: FEMA