When the sirens wail again in large parts of Bavaria, nothing of the sort can be heard in Munich on the nationwide warning day on Thursday: there have long been no working sirens in the city. After the end of the Cold War, they were gradually dismantled because there was no concrete threat. Instead, this time the people of Munich have to rely on their cell phones.
Most recently, there was a warning day in December last year, at that time all over Germany. Now the Free State is organizing its own. At 11 a.m., the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior then triggers the warning devices connected to the so-called modular warning system. This includes the warning apps Nina and Katwarn as well as notifications via cell broadcast technology. According to the Munich fire brigade, the use of other warning devices is not planned. On the last warning day, for example, messages were still displayed on the digital display boards at underground and S-Bahn stations.
The cell broadcast system was tested for the first time in December and has officially been in regular operation since February 23rd. It is a system that allows messages to be sent directly to cell phones without the need for an app to be installed. In addition to a push message, the recipients are also notified acoustically. However, this only works if the mobile phone is connected to the mobile network. There is no warning in dead spots, also when flight mode is switched on. The new technology is also not supported by all old cell phones. The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance offers a List of receiving devices from different manufacturers.
In addition to the new cell broadcast technology, the two warning apps Nina and Katwarn will also be in use on Thursday. However, in order to receive a message about this, the respective app must be installed and the “Show notifications” option must also be activated in the settings.