previously announced<\/a> by Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong in August 2025. It was also brought up during the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Budget 2026 debate in February.\u00a0<\/p>\nMr Tong said in a speech last year that the alert system was part of efforts to leverage innovation in disaster management to effectively disseminate emergency messages to the public.<\/p>\n
HOW IT WORKS<\/h2>\n
SG Alert will only be activated during emergencies such as major fires, chemical or terror incidents that require the public to take immediate action to protect themselves, said SCDF.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Upon receiving the alert, members of the public should read the message carefully and follow the instructions given.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The message will contain key information relating to the emergency – a brief description of the incident, the affected location or locations, protective actions to take and official sources and links for more details.<\/p>\n
By using cell broadcast technology, the emergency alerts can reach the public “within seconds”, said SCDF.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All mobile devices will need to be updated to the latest operating system (OS) to ensure uninterrupted access to SG Alert.\u00a0<\/p>\n
More specifically, it is only supported on phones running on the latest Apple\u00a0iOS 26.4 and later, or Android OS 12 and above, with the latest Google Play system update from Feb 1, 2026 onwards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The alerts will appear as pop-up notifications with the header SG Alert, accompanied by a unique alert tone and distinct vibration pattern lasting up to 10 seconds – different from the SMS alerts. These alerts can also bypass a device’s “do not disturb” or silent mode settings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For some users, especially those with older phone models, the header may be displayed as “Presidential alert” instead due to compatibility issues. Regardless of the title shown, the content of the alert will remain the same, said SCDF, adding that it will be working to standardise the message’s heading.<\/p>\n
While SG Alert is intended for mobile phones, some other devices such as tablets and smartwatches with cellular connectivity may also receive the emergency messages.<\/p>\n
SCDF also pointed out that SG Alert does not collect or track personal data; it is a built-in safety feature in mobile phones and users cannot unsubscribe from this service.<\/p>\n
ABLE TO TARGET SPECIFIC AREAS<\/h2>\n
SCDF can activate SG Alert islandwide or target specific affected areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Members of the public as well as foreign visitors connected to Singapore mobile networks, including those with data-only eSIM plans, will receive alerts on their mobile phones within the designated areas.<\/p>\n
The alerts will be sent out in English and the user’s preferred mobile language setting. Devices set to other languages besides the four main ones in Singapore – English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil – will receive the alerts in English.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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