You can disable Amber Alerts, but the process and your options depend on what phone you have
Amber Alerts are emergency notifications sent to all phones in a geographic area when a child is reported abducted. On iPhones, you turn them off in Settings under Notifications. On Android phones, the path varies by manufacturer — Samsung uses Emergency Alerts in Settings, while Google Pixel uses a similar menu under Safety. You can also silence them without fully disabling them: most phones let you mute the sound while keeping the notification visible, or turn off only the vibration and flash.
The catch is that Amber Alerts are designed to be hard to ignore. They bypass your volume settings and ringer mode, which is why they feel intrusive. Disabling them entirely removes that interruption, but it also means you won't see the notification at all — even if you would have wanted to know about a missing child in your area. Many people choose a middle ground: keep the alert on but silence the sound, or turn off the alert only during certain hours.
Key Takeaways
- On iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > scroll to the bottom and toggle off Amber Alerts; on Android, the setting is usually in Emergency Alerts or Wireless Emergency Alerts, though the exact path depends on your phone maker.
- You can silence the sound and vibration of Amber Alerts without disabling them entirely, which keeps you informed without the jarring interruption.
- Amber Alerts are sent by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and local law enforcement, not by your carrier or phone maker, so disabling them only affects your device.
- Some phones let you schedule when alerts are active — for example, turning them off during sleep hours but keeping them on during the day.
How to disable Amber Alerts on iPhone
Open Settings and scroll down to Notifications. At the very bottom of the Notifications menu, you will see Government Alerts. Tap that, and you will see three toggles: Emergency Alerts, Extreme Threats, and Public Safety Alerts. Amber Alerts fall under Public Safety Alerts. Toggle that switch off, and your iPhone will no longer receive them.
If you want to keep Amber Alerts but silence them, go back to the same Government Alerts menu and look for Sound. You can turn off the sound while leaving the notification itself on — the alert will still appear on your screen, but it won't make noise or vibrate. This is useful if you want to know about missing children in your area but don't want to be jolted awake at 3 a.m.
How to disable Amber Alerts on Android
The exact location depends on your phone maker. On Google Pixel phones, open Settings, go to Safety and Emergency, then Emergency Alerts, and toggle off Public Safety Alerts. On Samsung phones, open Settings, search for Emergency Alerts, and toggle off Amber Alerts specifically. On other Android phones, the setting may be under Notifications, Wireless Emergency Alerts, or a menu labeled Alerts — try searching "emergency alerts" in your Settings app to find it faster.
Once you find the menu, you usually have the option to turn off the sound while keeping the notification visible, just like on iPhone. Some Android phones also let you set quiet hours — a time window when alerts won't make noise or vibrate, but will still appear as a silent notification if you check your phone.
Why Amber Alerts are designed to be hard to ignore
Amber Alerts use a special broadcast system that bypasses your phone's volume and Do Not Disturb settings. This is intentional: the system was created to reach as many people as possible when a child's life may be in when ready danger. The alert uses a loud, distinctive sound and vibration pattern that is hard to miss, even if your phone is on silent.
This design means you cannot straightforward mute your phone to avoid Amber Alerts — you have to actively disable them in Settings. It also means that if you do disable them, you are opting out of the system entirely on your device. There is no way to receive Amber Alerts but have them behave like a normal notification.
The difference between silencing and disabling
Silencing an alert means you turn off the sound and vibration, but the notification still appears on your screen. Disabling an alert means you won't see it at all. For Amber Alerts, silencing is often the better choice if you care about the issue but find the interruption unbearable — you can check your phone periodically and see if an alert came in, without being startled by the noise.
To silence without disabling on iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > Government Alerts > Public Safety Alerts, and toggle off Sound. On Android, the option is usually in the same Emergency Alerts menu, often labeled Vibration or Sound. Some phones also let you set a schedule: alerts can be silent during sleep hours but loud during the day.
What happens when you disable Amber Alerts
When you disable Amber Alerts, your phone straightforward will not receive them. You won't see a notification, hear a sound, or feel a vibration. This affects only your device — other people's phones will still receive alerts normally. Disabling Amber Alerts does not affect any other emergency notifications, like Extreme Weather Alerts or Emergency Alerts from FEMA.
If you change your mind later, you can re-enable Amber Alerts by going back to the same Settings menu and toggling them back on. There is no penalty or consequence for turning them off and on repeatedly.
When people choose to disable Amber Alerts
Some people disable Amber Alerts because they live in a high-alert area and receive them frequently, often for situations that do not affect them directly. Others disable them because they work night shifts and the alerts wake them during sleep. Some people find the loud, distinctive sound genuinely distressing. None of these reasons are uncommon, and disabling alerts is a legitimate choice.
If you disable Amber Alerts, you are making a trade-off: you gain peace and quiet, but you lose the chance to help locate a missing child in your area. Whether that trade-off makes sense depends on your own situation and values. There is no single right answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn off Amber Alerts but keep other emergency alerts?
Yes. On both iPhone and Android, Amber Alerts are a separate toggle from Emergency Alerts and Extreme Weather Alerts. You can disable Amber Alerts while keeping the others on. This is common for people who want to know about severe weather or civil emergencies but find Amber Alerts too frequent or disruptive.
Will my carrier know if I disable Amber Alerts?
No. Amber Alerts are sent by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and local law enforcement through a broadcast system. Your carrier does not know whether you have them enabled or disabled. The setting is stored only on your phone.
Can I schedule Amber Alerts to be silent only at night?
Some phones support this through their Focus or Do Not Disturb settings, but Amber Alerts are designed to bypass those features. Your best option is to check your phone's Focus settings — on iPhone, you can create a Sleep Focus that silences notifications, though Amber Alerts may still come through. On Android, some phones let you set quiet hours in the Emergency Alerts menu itself.
What if I want to help but don't want the noise?
Silence the sound and vibration while keeping the notification on. This way, if you check your phone, you will see the alert, but it won't startle you. You can also check local news or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children website directly if you want to stay informed without receiving alerts.
Do I need to do anything after disabling Amber Alerts?
No. Once you toggle them off, they are disabled. You do not need to restart your phone or confirm the change. If you want to turn them back on later, just go back to the same Settings menu and toggle them on again.