There have been some rumors that Apple is planning to remove the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) from the iPhone with an iOS update and these warnings usually come with advice to turn off automatic updates so these important alerts are not lost. It may be useful to review what the EBS is and how emergency alerts work on the iPhone, as well as digging into the rumors to examine if there is any truth or evidence of this supposed action.
The Emergency Broadcast System, abbreviated as EBS, was established in the United States in 1963 as a means of alerting the public to potential dangers such as nuclear war or other serious disaster level crises. The alert message would be familiar to anyone who spent some time watching television or listening to the radio between 1963 and 1997, since it was tested periodically. It was replaced in 1997 with the Emergency Alert System (EAS). While broadcast networks must participate, it is entirely optional for mobile devices, though most carriers and device manufacturers deliver the messages since they provide important information.
The rumors that Apple is planning to disable emergency alerts seem to be based on hearsay and lack any evidence. Some reference other companies or government departments as being the source, but don’t provide any links, photos of other documentation to lend credence to the rumor. Since Apple generally seems to favor encouraging health and safety for its customers, removing this early warning system is counterintuitive. Most likely, the concerns stem from the action Apple removing the Parler app from the App Store over concerns of content promoting violence. The rumors have appeared repeatedly on Twitter in the last few days and have even been raised in Apple Discussions, a user forum not frequented by Apple. The consensus there seems to agree that Apple has not disabled the EAS.
How Alerts Work On Apple Devices
The iPhone and Apple Watch are the only Apple devices that currently receive EAS messages. The alerts that may be received include government warnings of imminent threats to life or safety, extreme weather conditions and AMBER alerts (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response). These can be switched off in the Notification settings, but default to being on. Note that some countries do not allow this setting to be changed by the user. Some concerns point to the lack of EAS on iPad devices, but they never had the feature. While several tech companies have taken recent action against apps that are deemed to have failed in moderating content, any concerns about an Apple iOS 14.3 update (that arrived in December) are misguided.
Realistically, it would likely take some extraordinary event for this safety system to be interfered with. For example, if the EAS was hacked and used to send false information or if it was abused to send information that did not relate to an actual emergency, it might make sense for Apple or the cellular service carrier to disable the alerts. Doing so would probably not require an iOS update since the information comes via the cellular service and could be stopped by the carrier. For anyone in the U.S. that's concerned about their iPhone status, a simple way to test that alerts are active is to open Notifications Settings and scroll to the bottom to find ‘Government Alerts’ and make sure the switch is in the on position. To sum up, there is no credible evidence that Apple is attempting to disable EBS or EAS on the iPhone or Apple Watch.
Source: Apple Discussions, Apple Support