Emergency alerts abroad: will your phone get them?
In most EU countries, yes, without doing anything: warnings such as Spain's ES-Alert are sent by cell broadcast from the antennas to every phone in the affected area, whatever country its SIM comes from. Your phone has to be switched on, out of flight mode, connected to a local network and with government alerts enabled; where a country uses an app instead, your operator's welcome text points you to it.
See the Europe eSIMHow an alert reaches a phone it does not know
Spain's civil protection service describes ES-Alert as the Spanish version of the EU-Alert standard. The emergency centre defines the alert, and the mobile operators broadcast it in the cells covering the affected area, from those antennas to all the phones within their coverage at the same time. There is no registration and no app, and the system does not receive your location: it only uses the cell your phone is attached to. It works on 4G and 5G networks.
Other countries work the same way. The Netherlands describes NL-Alert as free and anonymous, with no sign-up and your number unknown to the sender, and France says FR-Alert is designed to warn anyone present in the danger zone. A phone that is switched off, in flight mode or out of coverage gets nothing; ES-Alert adds that a phone entering the area while an alert is still valid shows it straight away.
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What EU law promises people who are just passing through
The European Electronic Communications Code, in Article 110, requires EU countries with public warning systems to have them transmitted to the end users concerned. Countries may use other channels, including an app, only if they are as effective in coverage and capacity, including for people only temporarily present in the area.
The roaming regulation, Regulation (EU) 2022/612, spells out that roaming users are among those concerned, and notes that current technology lets authorities warn them without any prior action, such as downloading an app. The European Commission adds that most EU countries use cell broadcast or location-based text messages that reach roaming users automatically. Where a country relies on an app, Article 15 of the regulation requires your operator's welcome message to say so, with a link to download it on a dedicated page.
With a data eSIM next to your usual line
Because a cell broadcast goes out from the antenna, what matters is that your phone is attached to a local network, not which company sold the SIM. On the phone side, Apple says Government Alerts are supported when using a SIM card or eSIM from a supported carrier, and tells you to check with your carrier for details.
The practical answer is to keep your usual line switched on when you travel with a data eSIM. You can leave data roaming off on it, so it uses no data, while it stays registered on a network for calls, texts and alerts. Apple also warns that an iPhone on Wi-Fi Calling may not receive emergency alerts, which we cover in Wi-Fi Calling abroad. And do not keep the phone in flight mode overnight in an area under a weather warning.
Where to switch them on on an iPhone
Open Settings, tap Notifications and scroll to the bottom of the screen. Under Government Alerts you can turn each type of alert on or off. Apple says they are on by default, and that some government alerts cannot be turned off. Spain's civil protection service adds that iPhones on iOS 15.6 or later receive and show ES-Alert correctly.
Check this before a trip rather than during it, because the setting travels with you. The Dutch government makes the point directly: if you switch off NL-Alert, foreign governments may also be unable to warn you when you are abroad. On an iPhone, alerts appear as notifications and there is no separate history, so read an alert before you clear it.
Where to switch them on on Android
Google's path is Settings, then Notifications, then Wireless emergency alerts, where you can turn alert types on or off, find past alerts and set sound and vibration. Some manufacturers place it elsewhere; Spain's civil protection service gives the path Settings, Safety and emergency, Wireless emergency alerts, Emergency alert history, and searching for emergency alerts in Settings usually finds it.
The Android version matters. According to the same service, phones on Android 11 or later receive and show alerts correctly, Android 9 and 10 receive them but some show the wrong labels, such as Presidential alert, and Android 8 or earlier does not show them. In Spain, the top level, Alerta de Protección Civil, cannot be switched off, while the Pre-Alerta can.
The alerts that need a data connection
Some warnings do not come from cell broadcast and depend on the internet. Google's earthquake alerts on Android use your approximate location and require Wi-Fi or mobile data to be on; Spain is among the countries Google lists for its Android Earthquake Alerts System, and the setting sits under Safety and emergency. Google's crisis alerts, on by default, open Google Search for more information. National warning apps, where a country uses them, also need data.
That is one more reason to have mobile data working on the trip. A data eSIM such as Snoozim's Europe pack, which works in 33 countries, keeps those services and your maps running while your usual line stays on for calls and broadcast alerts. As for language, ES-Alert messages are sent in Spanish and, where relevant, the regional co-official language, and the emergency centre can add a second language, usually English, meant for phones set to another language.
Do ES-Alert messages reach foreign phones?
Spain's civil protection service says alerts are sent from the antennas to all phones in their coverage, with no registration, so a phone on a Spanish network in the area should get them if alerts are enabled.
Will I get emergency alerts with a data-only eSIM?
Broadcast alerts depend on the network your phone is on, and Apple ties alert support to a SIM or eSIM from a supported carrier. Keep your usual line switched on alongside the eSIM, even with its data roaming off.
Can I turn off emergency alerts on my phone?
Some types, yes, in the Notifications settings, but some government alerts cannot be turned off. In Spain the top-level Civil Protection alert is always on.
Why did my phone not receive the alert?
Common reasons are a phone switched off, in flight mode or without coverage, alerts disabled in settings, or an Android version older than 9.
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