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Need emergency alerts GONE!!

I am currently travelling abroad. I continuously receive emergency alerts in a foreign language from the various service providers here. I don't think they are even alerts - some of them are just a single letter of the alphabet. I'll get them in the middle of the night - which wakes me up, of course. I have a samsung galaxy 3, with kitkat. It has the new emergency alerts app. I've turned off all of the alerts in the app (except for presidential, of course, b/c i can't). I've put my phone into blocking mode to disable all notifications. Nothing works to prevent them except to put the phone into airplane mode, rendering my phone unuseable.

I understand the need for them in the US, but how shortsighted to not be able to disable them when abroad. There has to be a solution to this.

Comments

Verizon_Support

boosnicole,

I am so sorry to hear about the notifications you are receiving. Are the notifications coming through as text messages or just alerts on the device? Do these notifications only happen at a certain time each day or when you are in a certain area? Have you been receiving these notifications since you arrived in your current location? Where are you currently located?

LindseyT_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

boosnicole

Prior to kitkat on my device (i.e., about a month ago), the notifications were coming in as text messages. I was quite concerned because there was a lot and i didn't want to be charged. I contacted the VW chat and they 'disabled' them, but didn't really. I still received them, but i wasn't charged for any of them. (there was no way to block the sender, as they came from 'unknown')

Now with kitkat, they come through as 'emergency alerts' and are accompanied by a really loud, annoying sound.

I receive them anytime I am in the Tokyo area (I travel there every couple of months). I received them randomly throughout the day and night. Sometimes they are in kanji and sometimes they are a series of alerts of just a single letter (like I'll get 10 notifications with just the letter 'd' in them).

i don't read kanji so i had someone (Japanese) translate one of the notifications for me...basically it was a small news alert. The one that he interpreted was about some Nature researcher; nothing important.

I am now back in the US, but I would like a solution to this issue for the next time I travel there.

Verizon_Support

I'd be happy to help you boosnicole! Just go to the Emergency Alerts app on your phone. Press Menu>Settings>Alert Types, and uncheck any alerts you do not wish to receive.

Thank you,

MichelleH_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

boosnicole

I unchecked all of the alert types (except presidential, of course) as soon as I received the first alert. That did absolutely nothing.

pzjagd1

Try to stay with him on this, Verizon. He says in his OP that he has already done that.

Ben_Wigton

I am having the EXACT same issue in Tokyo on my Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 with KitKat using the Verizon SIM card. So freaking annoying...all day...all night the emergency alerts that make no sense!

Yes, I have disabled all Emergency alerts except the presidential (which cannot be de-selected).

C'mon let's get this fixed Verizon!

Ares125

I have a Verizon Samsung Galazy S4 with a Verizon SIM. I have updated the Android version to the latest version.

I have the exact problems while traveling in various places in Japan. I have disabled all the Emergency Alerts on the phone settings. But, it does not stop the alerts in Japan.

I believe the alerts were from SPAM, not from the wireless carriers in Japan. They were illegal transmissions by private parties. Not sure how to disable them or what VZW can do. These alerts can bypass the phone settings and still come into the phone with alerts, even though I have disabled the alerts in the Settings.

I have not seen the same problem in any other countries. It seems that the Japanese government must do something to crack down on the illegal transmissions.

Verizon_Support

Hi Ares125,

I am sorry you're having issues with spam. There is a way to block spam on your device but it is not guaranteed to work in the case you mentioned. Use this link for our span controls to see if this can help http://vz.to/RZXLNr.

Thank You,

EdW_VZW

Follow us on twitter @VZWSupport

Ares125

The link you provided does not leads to the right information. I can't find anything relevant information on the link.Please provide me the details.Thanks.

>> Personal information and e-mail headers removed to comply with the Verizon Wireless Terms of Service <<

Edited by: Verizon Moderator

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