Every so often — or frequently, depending on your tolerance level — you get an emergency alert on your phone. That horrible blaring of the emergency tone, the buzzing the vibration motor, and then the grim news. Someone's missing. Or there's a severe weather alert headed your way. Suddenly and without warning, your phone's scaring the hell out of you. It's bad enough during the day, and downright dreadful in the dead of night. And that's the idea. The U.S. carriers have worked with the federal government to come up with a way to push alerts to your Android smartphone to warn you about dangerous weather, missing persons or other matters of grave national importance. The point is they want you to see this information in hopes that it could save your life — or someone else's. Verizon is offering the Pixel 4a for just $10/mo on new Unlimited lines Here's what you need to know about these emergency alerts and how you can control them on your Android phone. What kind of emergency alerts are there?

Source: Android Central

There are three (or four, depending on how you're counting) types of emergency alerts you can receive on your Android. They're grouped into the less-dangerous-sounding "Cell Broadcast" heading, and include: Extreme threats: Classified as threats to your life and property, such as an impending catastrophic weather event like a hurricane, tornado or tsunami.

Classified as threats to your life and property, such as an impending catastrophic weather event like a hurricane, tornado or tsunami. Severe threats: Less serious than the extreme threats, these could be the same types of situations, but on a smaller scale — a reason to stay safe, but not evacuate or take extreme measures.

Less serious than the extreme threats, these could be the same types of situations, but on a smaller scale — a reason to stay safe, but not evacuate or take extreme measures. AMBER alerts: These are specific alerts aimed at locating a missing child. Technically AMBER stands for "America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response." But it was named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old who was kidnapped and killed in 1996. AMBER alerts will include as much information as the authorities currently have available, giving you the location of the alert, and often a vehicle description including a license plate number.

These are specific alerts aimed at locating a missing child. Technically AMBER stands for "America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response." But it was named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old who was kidnapped and killed in 1996. AMBER alerts will include as much information as the authorities currently have available, giving you the location of the alert, and often a vehicle description including a license plate number. Presidential alerts: These alerts will often fall into the "extreme threats" category, but are issued directly by the President of the United States (or through their office) and cannot be turned off in your phone's settings. What does an emergency or AMBER alert sound like?

It's loud and annoying — particularly if you have a phone with really good speakers. But it will really catch your attention if you're with several people who all have their phones out! You'll likely also find your phone is vibrating when an alert is issued, though some phones let you turn off vibration. How can I turn off emergency alerts on my Android?

Source: Android Central