If you receive an urgent-looking, emergency text on your phone during June and July, there is no need to panic that you might be being scammed.
Tests are now being conducted for AusAlert, Australia's new national emergency warning system, and if you spot an unfamiliar notification or siren-like warning - you may be in the testing zone.
A national test will occur on July 27 and will include most phones, and some smart watches and tablets.
Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain said the test alerts would help officials iron out any technical problems before the nationwide launch, but were also important for raising community awareness.
"AusAlert is a game changer, using the latest technology to help authorities deliver near-real-time messages to precise locations, or scaled up to a national level," she said.
"Our community-based trials are a key part of preparing for AusAlert's introduction, helping us identify and fix any potential issues and raise public awareness."
AusAlert, which can send alerts to all mobile phones in a geo-targeted location, is a new system allowing emergency services to quickly communicate with the public during a local or national emergency.
Phones that receive a test alert will play a siren-like warning for 10 seconds, and message from AusAlert will pop up on the phone screen.
AusAlerts will let Australians in affected areas know about emergencies including natural disasters like floods, bushfires or cyclones, security threats, public health emergencies, or biosecurity incidents.
The new emergency warning system will officially launch in October 2026, and tests for the new system are under way in specific locations across Australia.
A nationwide test alert will be sent to every Australian phone at 2pm on Monday, July 27, 2026.
Once the system is active, there are two different types of alerts you may receive.
The first is a Critical Alert, which will play a high-pitched sound, and will play on your phone even on 'silent' or 'do not disturb' mode.
The second type is Priority Alert, which means there is a "high level of threat" and conditions could change. This will come with the same high-pitched sound, but will not sound if your phone is on silent or do not disturb.
How the message sounds and appears may vary slightly depending on what type of phone you have.
Alerts can also be sent to landline phones, where a spoken message will play once you pick up the phone.
