Today, a test of Canada’s Alert Ready Emergency Alert System left many wondering, “Why didn’t I get an alert on my cell phone?” People are concerned because this new alert system is designed to reach people directly on their cell phones in addition to radio and TV. It turns out there is a simple reason why today’s alert may not have reached your phone…
Alert Ready’s website details all of the carriers that broadcast their alerts. There are 20 carriers listed, including the big ones (Rogers, Bell, Telus, etc.), so there is a pretty good chance that you got the alert. However, if you didn’t, it may be because you were connected to WiFi at the time.
Indeed, Alert Ready’s FAQ section clearly states that your device must be “Connected to an LTE cellular network at the time the emergency alert is issued or joins the network while the alert is still active.”
So… It’s possible if you were connected to a WiFi network at the time, that’s why you didn’t get an alert!