Android Earthquake Alert System Now Live In India
Google has launched the Android Earthquake Alerts System in India.
The system uses the phone's accelerometers as mini seismometers to detect earthquakes nearby.
It sends two types of alerts for earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater: Be Aware, Take Action.
The Take Action alert breaks through Do Not Disturb settings.
The system was announced in 2020 and is live in most countries of the world. Google worked with the:
- National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
- National Centre for Seismology (NCS)
- Ministry of Earth Sciences
The system makes up the world's largest mobile earthquake detection network.
Earthquakes are one of the most common natural disasters in the world, and an early warning can be pivotal in helping people prepare and get themselves and their loved ones to safety. That's why we’ve developed the Android Earthquake Alerts System, which uses sensors in Android smartphones to detect and estimate earthquakes. This is already deployed in many countries around the world to provide people around the world with an early warning when earthquake shaking begins.
Today, in consultation with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), Ministry of Earth Sciences, we’re introducing the Android Earthquake Alerts System in India. Through this launch, we strive to provide Android users automatic early warning alerts when there is an earthquake in their area.
Harnessing the Power of Android
Each Android smartphone is equipped with tiny accelerometers that can act as mini seismometers. When a phone is plugged in and charging, it can detect the very beginnings of earthquake shaking. If many phones detect earthquake-like shaking around the same time, our server can use this information to estimate that an earthquake may be happening, as well as characteristics of the event - like its epicenter and magnitude. Then, our server can send alerts to nearby phones. Internet signals travel at the speed of light, much faster than the propagation of earthquake shaking through the ground, so the alerts often reach phones several seconds before severe shaking does.
Our alerts are designed to be easy to read and follow, and are available in Indian languages supported by Android.
How to use the system
The Android Earthquake Alerts System1 is rolling out to all Android 5+ users in India during the coming week. To receive alerts, users must have Wi-Fi and/or cellular data connectivity, and both Android Earthquake Alerts and location settings enabled. Users who do not wish to receive these alerts can turn off Earthquake Alerts in device settings.
The system also provides information through Google Search about local seismic events and safety measures when people search for information with queries like “Earthquake near me.”
We hope to supplement the government’s efforts on earthquake alerts and provide people with the advance notice they need to stay safe. In India, we have been working closely with the NDMA to provide users with helpful safety information about natural disasters such as floods and cyclones on Google Search and Maps. We’re proud to further our association with the NDMA, along with the NCS, to bring the Android Earthquake Alerts system to India.
How Android Earthquake Alerts System WorksEarthquakes happen daily around the world, with hundreds of millions of people living in earthquake prone regions. An early warning can help people prepare for shaking, but the public infrastructure to detect and alert everyone for an earthquake is costly to build and deploy. We saw an opportunity to use Android to provide people with timely, helpful earthquake information when they use Google search, and a few seconds warning to get themselves and their loved ones to safety if needed.
Android Earthquake Alerts System is a free service that detects earthquakes around the world and can alert Android users before shaking starts.
Detecting an Earthquake
In California, Washington, and Oregon, we partner with the ShakeAlert® team to distribute alerts provided by their system. ShakeAlert uses a network of 1675 seismic sensors to detect earthquake shaking, and analyzes that data to determine the location and size of the earthquake. The ShakeAlert® system then sends a signal to Android Earthquake Alerts System, which then sends an earthquake alert directly to Android users.
Outside of these U.S. states, we use a crowdsourced approach to detect earthquakes. All smartphones contain tiny accelerometers that can sense vibrations and speed, signals that indicate an earthquake might be happening. If the phone detects something that it thinks may be an earthquake, it sends a signal to our earthquake detection server, along with a coarse location of where the shaking occurred. The server then combines information from many phones to figure out if an earthquake is happening. This approach uses the 2+billion Android phones in use around the world as mini-seismometers to create the world’s largest earthquake detection network; the phones detect the vibration and speed of shaking of an earthquake, and alert Android users in affected areas accordingly.
Satellite visualization of earthquake detection
Earthquake detections can also be viewed on Google Search. Simply search for “Earthquake near me” - if you’ve felt shaking - to get additional information about any seismic activity near you.
Alerting Users During an Earthquake
Android has two types of notifications designed to alert users about an earthquake. Both alert types are only sent for earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater.
Be Aware notification
Be Aware Alert
[Weak / Light Shaking]
Take Action alert
[Moderate / Extreme Shaking]
Be Aware Alert
Designed to give you a heads up for light shaking, and provide more information when you tap on the notification.
Only sent to users who will experience MMI 3 & 4 shaking during an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 or greater
Respects the Volume, Do Not Disturb and Notification settings on your device.
Take Action Alert
Designed to get your attention before you experience moderate to heavy shaking, so that you can take action to protect yourself.
Only sent to users who will experience MMI 5+ shaking during an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 or greater.
Will break through Do Not Disturb settings, turn on your screen and play a loud sound.
Earthquake Safety Information
Tapping on either of the alerts will present Earthquake safety information, which consists of simple steps that you can take to keep yourself safer after an earthquake. It also provides a detailed map of an early estimate of the earthquake location and magnitude.
