"Amber alert" itself is mostly just a PSA that a child has goe missing. What people are discussing is that most smartphones have a way to have emergency messag

"Amber alert" itself is mostly just a PSA that a child has goe missing. What people are discussing is that most smartphones have a way to have emergency messages (such as this) broadcasted and displayed prominently. In this case, all its asking you to do is Keep an eye out for the vehicle. Report if found. I have a nexus 4, and I can disable none, some or all of alerts. They're useful though. Among amber alerts, it can warn you about terrorist attacks, earthquakes/tsunamis/other natural disaster, etc.