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On Saturday, October 4, an Austria-wide civil defense test alarm will take place. In addition to the sirens, the AT-Alert cell phone warning system will also be activated in Vienna.
On Saturday, October 4, 2025, sirens will sound throughout Austria between 12:00 p.m. and 12:45 p.m. – including in Vienna. In addition, people in the federal capital will once again receive a warning message directly on their cell phones this year. The reason for this is the AT-Alert system, which has been an integral part of the test alarm since 2023.
What does AT-Alert mean?
AT-Alert is the Austria-wide mobile phone warning system that sends anonymous warning messages to all mobile phones in the affected area. In Vienna, too, all cell phones will automatically receive a message. No registration or app is necessary.
Why your cell phone will be loud
The highest warning level – the so-called emergency alarm – is automatically activated on every modern smartphone and cannot be turned off. This means that even cell phones that are set to silent will emit a loud signal tone on October 4. Important: This is not a real emergency, but only the annual civil defense test. With the test alarm, the Ministry of the Interior wants to ensure that all warning channels function reliably in an emergency – from sirens to cell phones. At the same time, the aim is to familiarize the population with the different siren signals.
The AT-Alert system was introduced in 2023 and has been an integral part of public warnings ever since. It is based on cell broadcast technology, which enables authorities to send messages directly to all cell phones in an affected area – anonymously and without registration. This means that vacationers are also automatically warned when they are in Austria.
- source: 5minuten.at/picture: Gitschtal | CITIES
