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🇸🇪 Sweden /Disasters & Emergencies

Sweden to test new SE-Alert warning system today

From Dagens Nyheter · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • Smartphones in Stockholm and Gotland are scheduled to sound for 10 seconds at 3 p.m. during a test of Sweden’s SE-Alert system.
  • The alert will also vibrate and display a message, while phones in neighboring counties may receive it because mobile towers determine coverage.
  • People without smartphones will continue to receive public warnings through radio, television, SMS and the Hesa Fredrik siren.

Mobile phones in Stockholm and Gotland will sound at maximum volume for 10 seconds at 3 p.m. as Sweden’s Civil Defence Agency tests its new SE-Alert warning system.

The test is not an emergency. Compatible smartphones will vibrate, play the alert and display a message. The system can also send the message without sound, and it works only when a phone is connected to the mobile network.

People in nearby counties may receive the alert as well. Mobile phone towers, rather than county boundaries, determine which devices are reached. The agency is testing the system to check that it works when a public warning is genuinely needed. Another test may take place in December.

The test applies to smartphones with the latest software updates in Stockholm or Gotland. iPhones require iOS 26.5 or later and iPhone 11 or newer, while Android phones must run version 13 or newer and have been updated at least through June. People without smartphones will still receive important public messages through radio, television, SMS and the Hesa Fredrik warning siren.

About this summary

Originally published by Dagens Nyheter in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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