Android earthquake alerts are live across the US

Google’s Earthquake Alert System for Android

Every now and then, even multi-billion-dollar companies engage in altruistic and positive endeavors. Google’s Earthquake Alert system for Android is a prime example of this. Launched in 2020, the system provides near-instant alerts of impending earthquakes to users on the west coast of the US. It has since expanded to cover all 50 states and U.S. territories.

The Earthquake Alerts utilize data from gyroscopic sensors in millions of Android phones to detect simultaneous vibrations, enabling real-time earthquake detection. Alerts are sent to surrounding phones if vibrations above a 3 on the MMI scale are detected. For earthquakes measuring 4.5 or higher, a more urgent “Take Action” alert is issued, giving people valuable seconds to seek safety.

In California, Oregon, and Washington, where earthquakes are more frequent, the system collaborates with the ShakeAlert system from the US Geological Survey to provide additional alerts.

Google’s Earthquake Alert system is now operational not only in the U.S. mainland, Alaska, and Hawaii but also in Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, among others. While the system is active in 97 other countries and territories, notable exclusions include Japan, Indonesia, and China.