How earthquake alerts work on Android – and how to make sure they’re enabled on your phone
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETThe next time you get an alert on your Android phone, it might just be life‑saving information.Google researchers report that since rolling out the Android Earthquake Alerts System in 2021, it has detected and issued warnings for over 2,000 earthquakes, delivering anywhere from 10 to 60 seconds of advance notice before the strongest shaking arrives. In total, about 790 million alerts have been sent to phones worldwide.Also: Storms and bad weather? How to prep your tech ahead of possible emergenciesFor instance, during a magnitude 6.7 earthquake in the Philippines in November 2023, Google’s system sent out the first alert just 18.3 seconds after the quake started, notifying nearly 2.5 million people.Last fall, Google expanded its earthquake alert system — Android earthquake alerts are now available in all 50 US states and six US territories. And in June, Samsung introduced its own version. Here’s how these critical alerts work and how you can enable them.How to turn on Google’s earthquake alerts on AndroidEarthquake alerts are often on by default. To check, follow the steps below. Also, be sure that your device is connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data and that location services are enabled. More
