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Disabling “Cell Broadcast” messages is not recommended. Even if they are sometimes annoying or confusing, they have a purpose
Why you should not deactivate cell broadcast messages
Cell Broadcast messages, or “CB” for short, are messages that are sent to all subscribers within the mobile radio cell. For example, messages can be sent within a short time to the entire population that is currently within a specified radius.
- In many countries, call broadcast has long been used to warn of dangers and disasters – in Japan, for example, for earthquake warnings.
- In Germany, too, the technology is now to be increasingly used to warn of disasters. It is intended to supplement the warning apps and the partly outdated siren system. The technology was tested for the first time on a large scale with all mobile phone subscribers on December 8, 2022
- For this reason, deactivation is generally not advisable. It is important that you can be informed quickly in dangerous and catastrophic situations, such as drinking water hazards, fires, attacks or illnesses.
Cell Broadcast: These are the requirements for receiving the message
The BBK has published a list of all devices that are able to receive cell broadcast messages.
- Settings: On iOS, you must activate all three sliders (Extreme Danger, Danger Information, Test Alerts) in the settings under Notifications ☻ Cell Broadcast Alerts in order to also receive the test messages.
- Updates: Make sure that your device is up to date.
- Warn-Apps: To be on the safe side, you should also install warning apps on your cell phone to ensure that you always receive messages and notifications. You can find an overview of all warning apps here
- Status: Your device must be switched on and must not be in flight mode.
