This article provides steps to ensure you receive critical ENS alerts by adding Pitt's notification numbers to your contacts and adjusting your phone settings.

Overview

Emergency alerts from the University may be blocked by your phone's spam filtering features or carrier spam protection. This article provides steps to ensure you receive critical ENS alerts by adding Pitt's notification numbers to your contacts and adjusting your phone settings.

Detail

Why Emergency Alerts May Be Blocked

Modern smartphones and mobile carriers use advanced filtering to block suspected spam calls and texts. Unfortunately, emergency notifications from the University can sometimes be mistakenly identified as spam, preventing you from receiving critical safety information.

Save Pitt ENS Contact Numbers

The best way to ensure you receive alerts is to save the University's notification numbers as a contact in your phone. This tells your device and carrier that these are trusted numbers.

Create a "Pitt ENS" contact with these numbers:

• Text alerts: 226787, 67283, 77295, and 78015
• Voice alerts and calls: 412-624-1526

To add these numbers to your phone:

1. Open your Contacts or Phone app
2. Create a new contact named "Pitt ENS" or "Pitt Emergency Alerts"
3. Add all numbers listed above to this single contact
4. Save the contact

Adjust Spam Protection Settings

iPhone Users

1. Open Settings > Phone
2. Look for Silence Unknown Callers or Call Blocking & Identification
3. If Silence Unknown Callers is enabled, calls from numbers not in your contacts will be silenced. Once you've saved the Pitt ENS contact, alerts from these numbers should come through normally.
4. Check Blocked Contacts to ensure none of the Pitt numbers are accidentally blocked

Android Users

Settings vary by device manufacturer, but generally:

1. Open your Phone app
2. Tap the three-dot menu and select Settings
3. Look for Spam and Call Screen or Block numbers
4. Check that none of the Pitt ENS numbers are blocked
5. If your carrier offers spam protection (like T-Mobile Scam Shield or AT&T Call Protect), make sure the Pitt ENS contact is saved, as this typically exempts known contacts from filtering

Carrier-Level Spam Protection

Many carriers offer additional spam blocking services:

• Verizon Call Filter
• AT&T Call Protect
• T-Mobile Scam Shield

If you use these services, saving the Pitt ENS numbers to your contacts should automatically allow them through. You may also be able to manually whitelist these numbers in your carrier's app.

Test Your Settings

After updating your phone settings:

1. Verify your contact information is correct at http://pi.tt/alerts
2. Wait for the next ENS test message to confirm you receive it
3. If you don't receive test messages, review your settings again or contact the Technology Help Desk

Additional Tips

• Keep your contact information up to date at http://pi.tt/alerts
• Ensure your phone number is entered correctly in the ENS system
• Check that your phone has adequate signal and is powered on
• Review your "Do Not Disturb" settings to ensure emergency contacts can break through

Still Not Receiving Alerts?

If you've completed these steps and still don't receive ENS alerts:

• Confirm your phone number is correctly entered at http://pi.tt/alerts
• Check with your mobile carrier to see if they're blocking messages from these numbers
• Contact the Technology Help Desk for further assistance

For more information about ENS, see Emergency Notification Service (ENS) Frequently Asked Questions.