In a matter of a few days, the app was created and launched on the App Store. Though Red Alert users can single out one place to watch - presumably where they live - it also sounds identical alerts for all places in Israel, making it ideal for foreign observers but somewhat nerve-wracking for Israelis. It improves on Red Alert by localizing possible rocket strikes and differentiating between an immediate threat to the user and rockets aimed elsewhere. In the case of iRon Dome, says 19-year-old developer Arik Sosman, it calculates the projected impact area in the so far unlikely event that Iron Dome, the Israeli defense system that gives the new app its name, misses. Another tweak is inclusion of a comprehensive map of all present and past rocket alerts in Israel. Now, developers in Israel and abroad are offering alternatives to Red Alert, tweaking the original app that sounds an alarm each time Hamas fires a rocket at Israel. Twitter hashtags remain a popular way for Palestinians to receive alerts and avoid danger.Since the salvos of rocket attacks from Gaza began, a huge number Israelis and supporters of Israel around the world have been relying on the “Red Alert: Israel” smartphone app to notify them in real time of rocket siren warnings all over the country. Networks in the Occupied Territories can only provide 2G connectivity as Israel restricts bandwidth. The Red Alert/Yo service is not available for Palestinians concerned about Israeli air strikes. In the larger scheme of their extensive military capabilities, I doubt that Israel is hinging its citizens’ lives on an app that provides 15 seconds of response time before a rocket hits.” As with every technology-based early warning we see in the field, the need to establish mechanisms for early response is the real key. encouraged developers to create an English-language version of the app certainly tells me that he sees it as a way to reach people outside the country. “The fact that Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. Institute of Peace’s PeaceTech Initiative, says it’s probably a little bit of both. Anand Varghese, a program officer with the U.S. It’s quickly becoming one of the most popular apps in Israel.Īmidst the chaos, it’s hard to determine if the app has saved lives in the region, or if it’s functioning more as an Israeli public relations tool to reveal the violence in the region to the outside world. Working in conjunction with Yo’s push notification service, Red Alert is able to reach a larger pool of citizens who might be vulnerable to rocket fire near Gaza. Without Yo, the Red Alert app simply sends an alert (audio optional) with a potential city-wide location, like Jerusalem or Ashkelon. The user typically receives a warning via smartphone 15 to 90 seconds before a rocket hits. Yo users can now follow “RedAlertIsrael” to get a “Yo” at the same time that the sirens go off. Red Alert acts as a complement to the sirens. Following the implementation of the Red Color emergency siren system in 2012, there were concerns that people might not hear-or even sleep through-the sirens. The messaging app has partnered with Red Alert, a real-time missile notification service and self-described “propaganda tool” used in Israel.

Israeli citizens have begun relying on Yo for warnings of impending rocket strikes by Palestinian militants. Ridiculed for being gimmicky and useless, the app that was released on April Fool’s Day is now being used to save lives in one of the planet’s most complex conflict zones.

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