BAKERSFIELD - The search for two San Diego area children and the man who may have taken them, prompted the state's first Amber Alert via text message to cell phones Monday night. The wireless emergency alerts system just started this year and are built into newer cell phones. But, many people didn't know that until 10:30 p.m. and their phones made a sound they never heard before.
"Oh my goodness," said Erika Sullivan who received the text. "It actually startled me, which is good because I'm a deep sleeper. So, it woke me up."
"It scared me to death. It was very, very loud buzzing, just like on the TV," said Carolyn Dimolfetto, who also received the text.
Only, it wasn't the TV. The noise was coming from cell phones, accompanied with a text message alerting users of a statewide Amber Alert.
"Before we had to listen on the radio, you'd be driving in your car and you'd hear it on the radio. Maybe you heard fifteen minutes after the fact and you could have actually spotted the car or spotted the person," said Ryan Smith with ARRC Technology.
Smith says the wireless emergency alert is in addition to traditional Amber Alert warnings and the latest way to quickly send information across a region, even if you are just visiting, sent to cells through radio technology.
"It is just the same thing as a public announcement. It's nothing. They aren't spying on you. It just comes in," said Smith.
The service is automatically installed on newer, text-friendly cell phones along with automatic disaster or weather warnings.
Jason Ludwig with Cell Phone Repair says the system is fairly easy to turn off. Ludwig says all notifications, but presidential alerts can be disabled. Users can do it themselves on iPhones.
"You go to settings, go to your notifications, scroll to the bottom and then you have your options there to turn off or on your Amber Alerts," said Ludwig.
The text is free to receive, won't interrupt phone calls, and you won't hear the sound if your phone is on silent or vibrate. But, you will get the message that might save someone or yourself.
"At first, I was going what in the world? Who is waking me up at this hour? But, when I saw what it was I was happy that, because I had no clue I was signed up for it, but it was a very neat feature," said Sullivan.
If you didn't get the alert, it might be because you haven't installed the latest updates and software on your phone. The best way to get the alerts turned on or off, is to contact your service provider.