--- description: The alert read, "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL" title: What the Hawaii Missile Alert Looked Like on People's Phones image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt979bf0e1c207e17b/6988f8398fd2ee511c35a54a/hawaii-missile-alert.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here's What the Hawaii Missile Alert Looked Like on People's Phones  by [Alana Abramson](/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 12, 2023 10:55 PM CUTPublished: Jan 13, 2018 8:34 PM CUT  A screenshot shows messages of emergency alerts on Jan. 13, 2018 for residents of Hawaii A screenshot shows messages of emergency alerts on Jan. 13, 2018 for residents of HawaiiEugene Tanner—AFP/Getty Images  by [Alana Abramson](/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 12, 2023 10:55 PM CUTPublished: Jan 13, 2018 8:34 PM CUT A false alert about a ballistic missile in Hawaii Saturday sent the state — and the internet — into a panic. Authorities confirmed the alert was an error, and Hawaii’s Governor David Ige said he was meeting with authorities to determine what caused the alarm. According to screenshots, the alert read, “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”  A screenshot shows messages of emergency alerts on Jan. 13, 2018 for residents of Hawaii Eugene Tanner—AFP/Getty Images Here are some of the screenshots and stories circulating on social media. > [](https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/952243723525677056) > [](https://twitter.com/blam/status/952241724981571585) > [](https://twitter.com/davidwolman/status/952241500154347520) > [](https://twitter.com/mwilliamsthomas/status/952275644548861952) What the Hawaii Missile Alert Looked Like on People's Phones ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5102459/what-hawaii-missile-alert-looked-like-on-phone/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5102459/what-hawaii-missile-alert-looked-like-on-phone/"},"headline":"Here's What the Hawaii Missile Alert Looked Like on People's Phones","datePublished":"2018-01-13T20:34:24.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T22:55:13.000Z","description":"\"SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.\"","url":"https://time.com/5102459/what-hawaii-missile-alert-looked-like-on-phone/","keywords":["hawaii","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt979bf0e1c207e17b/6988f8398fd2ee511c35a54a/hawaii-missile-alert.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alana Abramson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt979bf0e1c207e17b/6988f8398fd2ee511c35a54a/hawaii-missile-alert.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US-SECURITY-POLITICS-DEFENSE-HAWAII","caption":"US-SECURITY-POLITICS-DEFENSE-HAWAII","creditText":"Eugene Tanner—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5102459/what-hawaii-missile-alert-looked-like-on-phone/","name":"Here's What the Hawaii Missile Alert Looked Like on People's Phones"}}]}] ```