Warnings in Austria – understanding sirens and AT-Alert
Austria has more than 8,300 sirens. Since October 2024 there is also AT-Alert: warnings sent straight to your phone. The two work together – the siren gets your attention, the phone tells you what is going on.
The three civil protection signals
- Warning – 3 minutes of steady tone: A danger is approaching. Turn on the radio or TV (ORF) or check orf.at and follow the instructions.
- Alarm – 1 minute of rising and falling tone: Danger! Go to a protective room and follow the instructions on radio, TV or the internet.
- All clear – 1 minute of steady tone: The danger is over. Still keep an eye on further information.
AT-Alert: warnings on your phone
AT-Alert uses Cell Broadcast. The message goes to every phone that is switched on in the affected area – no app, no registration, anonymous. The authorities do not know who received the warning. Messages come in German and English.
There are several levels: Emergency alarm (always on, rings even when your phone is silent), Extreme danger, Severe danger, Danger information, Missing persons, plus test and exercise warnings. All levels except the emergency alarm can be switched on and off.
Check your settings once
- Android: Settings → Safety and emergency → Wireless emergency alerts. Turn on all levels.
- iPhone: Settings → Notifications → scroll all the way down.
- Your phone needs a current system: Android 11 or later, iPhone iOS 17.4 or later. Older 2G phones only get the emergency alarm.
In flight mode no warning arrives. According to the Ministry of the Interior, "Do not disturb" does not block AT-Alert.
When a warning comes
Stay calm, read the whole message and follow the instructions. For details: ORF radio, TV or orf.at. Tell people near you who may not understand the warning – for example older neighbours or people who speak little German.