PSA: A national emergency alert test is happening on your phone tomorrow

The test takes place Wednesday, October 3 at 2:18 PM EDT.

While it can be easy to just think of our phones as tools for checking Twitter, playing games, and watching YouTube videos, they're also critical in the case of an emergency situation. Tomorrow afternoon, the FCC and FEMA will be conducting the nation's first test of its wireless emergency alert system.

The test will take place on Wednesday, October 3, 2018, at exactly 2:18 PM EDT. At that time, your phone will make a loud noise and you'll see a pop-up on your screen that reads:

Presidential Alert. This is A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.

The alert won't have any adverse effects on your wireless service or device, and after tapping the "Dismiss" button at the bottom of the pop-up, it'll go away and you can carry on with your day like normal.

Get ready for a lot of simultaneous phones going off at the office tomorrow afternoon.

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