The British received an alert message on their phone on Sunday, April 23 at 15 p.m. This was the first test of a system put in place by the government.
British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden warned that the alarm will be a bit annoying, embarrassing, even irritating, "but it's the sound that could save your life" The alarm sounds for about ten seconds. For some the alert came earlier, or later, when others still have not received it. In a crowded street in the capital, passers-by stop and look at their phones.