On Saturday, October 4, 2025, as every year, Vienna’s 180 sirens will be activated. Between 12:00 and 12:45 p.m., the four civil protection signals will be tested: “Sirens Test,” “Warning,” “Alert,” and “All Clear.” This exercise aims to familiarize the population with the signals and verify technical functionality. The audibility and condition of the sirens will be inspected by the city’s technical services. Throughout the rest of the year, operational readiness is regularly checked by “silent” alarms.
Overview of Civil Protection Signals
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Sirens Test (15 sec. continuous tone): short test tone, no danger.
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Warning (3 min. continuous tone): impending danger. Switch on radio or TV (ORF) or internet (orf.at), follow instructions.
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Alert (1 min. rising and falling tone): acute danger. Seek protective areas or rooms, follow instructions via radio, TV (ORF), or internet (orf.at).
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All Clear (1 min. continuous tone): danger over.
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AT-ALERT Nationwide in Use
“AT-Alert” is a public warning system based on cell broadcast mobile technology. After its introduction in September 2024 and activations in several federal states, the system will once again be tested nationwide. The test message will be sent to all powered-on mobile phones logged into a network. In general, mobile phones (Android from version 11; iPhones from iOS 17.4) can receive all alert levels.
On October 4, 2025, two test activations will take place:
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The first message will be sent nationwide at 12:00 p.m. by the Federal Ministry of the Interior (AT-Alert Level 4 – Hazard Information).
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A second activation will follow between 12:45 and 1:00 p.m. by the federal states (AT-Alert Level 1 – Emergency Alarm).
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Note: reception may be delayed depending on phone type or operating system. In border areas of federal states, multiple messages may arrive on one device. The emergency alarm (Level 1) cannot be disabled, while reception of AT-Alert messages from Level 2 (Extreme Danger) onward can be turned off in settings. However, it is recommended to leave these levels enabled to receive all warnings.
Because many devices will be alerted simultaneously, a loud noise environment may occur, which could particularly irritate elderly or ill individuals.
