You can disable Amber Alerts in your phone's settings, but the steps differ by device
Amber Alerts are emergency notifications sent when a child is reported missing or abducted. Your phone receives these as pop-up messages, often with a loud sound and vibration. You can turn them off entirely, silence them, or keep them on — the choice is yours, and the setting lives in your phone's notification or emergency alert menu.
The exact location of this setting depends on whether you use an iPhone or Android phone, and which version you're running. Both let you disable Amber Alerts without affecting other emergency notifications like weather warnings or public safety alerts.
Key Takeaways
- On iPhone, Amber Alerts are controlled in Settings under Notifications, in a section labeled Government Alerts or Emergency Alerts.
- On Android, the setting is usually in Settings under Apps & Notifications or Notifications, then Emergency Alerts or Wireless Emergency Alerts.
- Disabling Amber Alerts does not turn off other emergency notifications like severe weather or public safety warnings.
- If you turn off Amber Alerts and change your mind later, you can turn them back on using the same menu.
How to disable Amber Alerts on iPhone
Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Scroll down and tap Notifications. At the bottom of the Notifications menu, you will see a section called Government Alerts (on newer iPhones) or Emergency Alerts (on older models). Tap that section.
You will see a toggle next to "Amber Alerts." Tap the toggle to turn it off. The toggle will turn gray when it is off. You can also turn off "Emergency Alerts" and "Public Safety Alerts" from this same menu if you want to, but Amber Alerts is the only one you need to touch to stop receiving child abduction notifications.
If you do not see a Government Alerts or Emergency Alerts section at the bottom of your Notifications menu, your iPhone model may not support this setting. Older iPhones do not have the option to disable Amber Alerts — they will continue to arrive.
How to disable Amber Alerts on Android
Open the Settings app. Tap Apps & Notifications or Notifications (the exact name varies by phone brand and Android version). Look for a menu item called Emergency Alerts, Wireless Emergency Alerts, or Alert & Warnings. Tap it.
You will see a list of alert types. Find Amber Alert and tap the toggle next to it to turn it off. The toggle will turn gray. Some Android phones also let you tap the alert type itself to open more options, where you can choose to silence the sound while keeping the notification, or disable it entirely.
If you cannot find this menu, try searching your Settings app. Open Settings, tap the search icon or search bar at the top, and type "emergency alerts" or "amber alert." This will take you directly to the right menu.
What happens when you disable Amber Alerts
When you turn off Amber Alerts, your phone will no longer receive notifications about missing or abducted children in your area. You will not see the pop-up message, hear the alert sound, or feel the vibration. This setting applies only to Amber Alerts — other emergency notifications will continue to arrive normally.
Disabling Amber Alerts does not affect weather alerts, public safety warnings, emergency broadcasts, or any other notification type. If you want to keep those but silence only Amber Alerts, you can do that by disabling just the Amber Alert toggle and leaving the others on.
How to turn Amber Alerts back on
If you change your mind and want to receive Amber Alerts again, open Settings and navigate back to the same menu where you turned them off. On iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > Government Alerts (or Emergency Alerts) > Amber Alerts. On Android, go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > Emergency Alerts, then find Amber Alert. Tap the toggle to turn it back on — it will turn blue or green depending on your phone.
You can turn Amber Alerts on and off as many times as you want. There is no limit to how often you can change this setting.
Why your Amber Alert might still be making noise after you disabled it
If you turned off the Amber Alert toggle but your phone still receives alerts with sound, check two things. First, make sure you actually tapped the toggle and it turned gray or off — sometimes the toggle does not register the first tap. Second, check your phone's overall notification volume. Even if Amber Alerts are enabled, they will be silent if your phone is in silent mode or if you have muted all notifications in your sound settings.
On iPhone, check the physical mute switch on the side of the phone — if it is set to silent (you will see an orange line), all alerts will be silent. On Android, open Settings, go to Sound or Sound & Vibration, and check that notification volume is not set to zero.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will disabling Amber Alerts affect 911 calls or emergency services?
No. Disabling Amber Alerts does not change how your phone handles 911 calls or any other emergency service. You can still call 911, and emergency responders can still reach you. Amber Alerts are one-way notifications sent to your phone — they do not connect you to anyone or prevent you from calling for help.
Can I disable Amber Alerts for just one hour or one day?
Not through the standard settings. Your phone does not have a built-in timer for Amber Alerts. You can turn them off and back on manually whenever you want, but there is no way to set them to re-enable automatically after a certain amount of time. You would need to remember to turn them back on yourself.
Do Amber Alerts drain my phone battery?
Amber Alerts use very little battery power. The occasional alert notification will not noticeably affect your battery life. If you are disabling Amber Alerts to save battery, you will see almost no difference. Battery drain is usually caused by apps running in the background, screen brightness, or location services — not by alert notifications.
What if my phone does not have a Government Alerts menu?
Older iPhones and some Android phones do not support the option to disable Amber Alerts. If you cannot find the setting after checking your Notifications or Emergency Alerts menu, your phone model may not allow you to turn them off. In that case, you will continue to receive them.
Can my phone carrier disable Amber Alerts for me?
Your carrier (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.) cannot disable Amber Alerts on your phone. The setting is controlled entirely by your phone's operating system, not by your carrier. You must change it yourself through your phone's Settings app.