How to turn off AMBER alerts and other public safety alerts on your iPhone (though you should keep them on)

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iphone amber alertBusiness Insider

  • When your iPhone receives an AMBER alert, it makes a great deal of sound, so knowing how to turn these alerts off can be useful.
  • AMBER alerts are notifications issued by the Federal government, designed to help find abducted children.
  • Your iPhone’s AMBER alerts sound even if your phone is set to Do Not Disturb.
  • You can disable AMBER alerts and other government notifications in the Settings app. 
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

The AMBER Alert system is a national emergency response system designed to help find abducted children. While it’s officially an acronym that stands for "America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response," it’s actually named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered in 1996.  

By default, your iPhone is configured to alert you when AMBER alerts are issued, and they do not respect Do Not Disturb settings — you can receive AMBER alerts at all times of day, whenever they are issued. 

If you don’t want to receive these alerts, you can turn them off. But keep in mind that if you disable AMBER Alerts, you will not be notified in a timely manner about kidnapping incidents, and therefore you will be less able to help the authorities recover victims safely. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone Xs (From $999 at Apple)

How to turn off AMBER Alerts on your iPhone

1. Start the Settings app.

2. Tap "Notifications."

amber 1Dave Johnson/Business Insider

3. In the Government Alerts section, turn off "AMBER Alerts" by swiping the button to the left so it’s white instead of green. 

amber 2Dave Johnson/Business Insider

Note that there are other government alerts in this same section. While we recommend that you leave these enabled, you can toggle emergency alerts and public safety alerts as well. These are alerts generated by local or Federal agencies when they deem a significant threat to public safety. 

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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Dave Johnson)

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