At 1:55 p.m., it was anticipated that an estimated 3.7-million cellphones across Alberta would send out an emergency test alert along with a distinct eight-second tone.

But not everybody received a test alert and there are several reasons why this may have happened.

In order to receive the message, the phone must be an LTE-device connected to an LTE network and be compatible with the wireless public alerting system.

If the smartphone was turned off or muted, then you won’t see or hear the message.

“The decision was made that we are not going to override the user’s settings. It is the same way that we don’t turn on your TV with an alert, or turn up the radio in your car,” Tim Trytten with Alberta Emergency Alert program said.

The province has no way of tracking exactly how many people received the alert.

“We are watching social media traffic. We’re going to be asking people if they receive the message to click on the link. We’re going to be using indirect measures to gauge the effectiveness,” Trytten said.

It's been about a month since all mobile service providers needed to distribute wireless emergency alerts on their LTE networks.

Trytten said the technology is already being refined and he sees three major changes coming: improve targeting to ensure only those in immediate danger are being notified; expand the kinds of devices to include smart gadgets, such as watches and fridges; and make alerts more interactive, allowing people to respond to the messages

Tests across the country

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) mandated the public alerting tests to allow people in the country to become familiar with how the messages will be delivered to their mobile device in case of an emergency, such as fire, flooding or Amber Alert.

Alberta, along with seven other provinces and two territories, received the test alerts Wednesday.

Ontario and Quebec received the alerts Monday.

Operators with the country’s emergency alert system said they are investigating to understand why some users did not get the test message in Ontario.

Mobile users in Quebec did not get an alert, and operators identified an extra space in the coding prevented the message from being sent out.

To learn if your phone is compatible for the wireless alert, click here.