The IDF Home Front Command is updating the warning system on its mobile phone and smart TV applications, aiming to clarify the type of event and issue clearer instructions, it announced on Tuesday.
The update comes after “implementing lessons and insights gained from recent campaigns,” and aims to “optimize the way life-saving guidelines are delivered to citizens during emergencies in a simple, clear, and visual manner,” HFC’s announcement read.
The new security guideline system on HFC’s applications will include a dedicated color system, an icon, and an instruction, depending on the type of warning, among other changes. The color system follows a “traffic light” style of Red, Yellow, and Green alerts.
A Yellow alert accompanied by a dedicated sound would indicate a potential incoming threat. This would include instructions, such as “move closer to a protected space,” and would indicate an early warning rather than an immediate threat.
A Red alert will be accompanied by a siren sounding and will indicate that the threat is imminent and immediate protection is required. It will come with instructions, such as “enter the nearest protected space.”
A Green alert will also be accompanied by a dedicated sound, indicating that the event has ended and the danger has passed.
Lockscreen alerts, notifications streamlined for ease of understanding
Other changes include an upgrade to lock screen alerts and notifications on a mobile phone. These are “designed to display clearer, faster, and more accessible information regarding the type of event and the required action, even without opening the application,” HFC said.
Another change is a distinction between local alerts in your area and alerts in your areas of interest. This is due to the HFC application allowing users to set up to 10 areas of interest across Israel, so users receive a notification whenever an alert is triggered in one of those locations.
The change means that users will be able to immediately identify whether the alert is for their current location or for an area of interest.
