Google says it has updated its Android Earthquake Alerts System after the tool failed to deliver its most urgent warnings to millions of people during the devastating earthquakes in Turkey in 2023. The system, which turns Android phones into “mini seismometers,” is designed to detect earthquakes quickly and push alerts to people nearby seconds before strong shaking hits, according to Google.
But when two massive quakes struck southern Turkey and Syria in February 2023, the alerts system didn’t send out its highest-level “Take Action” notifications to around 10 million people in the region, Google told the BBC. Instead, Android users received lower-level “Be Aware” notifications or nothing at all. Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for further comment.
The 2023 earthquakes were among the deadliest in the region’s modern history, killing more than 50,000 people and displacing millions. Over 70% of phones in Turkey use the company’s Android operating system. Apple’s competing iOS software does not have a comparable built-in earthquake alert, relying on government warnings.
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How Google is revising its alert system
In a paper published earlier this month by the journal Science, Google said it found “limitations to the detection algorithms” during the event. According to the company, the system underestimated the severity of the earthquakes and failed to trigger the top-tier warnings that tell people to take immediate cover.
Google says it has since improved the detection algorithm and has resimulated the first Turkey earthquake with improved response results.
How Google’s alert system works
Android’s Earthquake Alerts System is available in more than 90 countries and uses tiny vibrations picked up by a phone’s accelerometer to spot seismic activity faster than traditional monitoring stations alone. When enough phones detect shaking, Google’s system estimates the quake’s location, magnitude and impact zone, and then pushes alerts directly to people’s screens.
The idea is to buy precious seconds before strong shaking starts, hopefully providing enough time for people to drop to the ground, take cover or move to safer locations.
The system has been credited with delivering early warnings during quakes in California, Greece and Japan. But the Turkey miss in 2023 highlighted the challenges of building a global warning system that relies on millions of phones and the high stakes when it gets things wrong. The earthquakes in Turkey were unusually complex, involving multiple fault ruptures and powerful aftershocks. This likely made accurate detection harder, but also underscores why timely alerts are so crucial.
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Google says it’s continuing to refine its earthquake technology and encourages Android users to keep the feature turned on. Earthquake Alerts is enabled by default on many Android phones, and you can check it under Safety & Emergency settings.
With climate and seismic risks rising, mobile-based early warning systems can be a way to reach people faster than traditional sirens or broadcasts. However, Google warns the alert system is meant to complement — not replace — national earthquake warning systems.
