If a pop-up appeared on your phone that said "Emergency Alert: serious", you're not the only one. The alert also says it's a test from the Indian government's Department of Telecommunications. If you're amazed to know what the message is, here's an explanation of the emergency alert.
To receive WEA messages, you need to have a compatible mobile phone and have the WEA feature enabled. When you receive a WEA message, you will hear a loud alert tone and see a message on your screen.
The government is sending alerts to people about natural disasters like flooding during the monsoon season. The alerts you got might be tests to see if the system works, or they could be real alerts about a dangerous situation. If it's a test, the alert will say so.
This service will be used to tell people about dangerous situations so they can stay safe. This service is important, so we recommend you keep it on to get important updates from the authorities.
How to disable government alerts on your iPhone
To stop getting these messages, go to your settings and turn off government alerts.
How to turn off government alerts on your Android phone
The way to disable government alerts on Android depends on your phone's brand.
To disable government alerts on most Android phones, go to your settings, find the safety and emergency section, and then tap on wireless emergency alerts.
You can also select choose which alerts you want to get. For example, you can choose to receive only extreme threats, severe threats, AMBER alerts, or test alerts.