Google has widened its Android Earthquake Alerts System to cover the whole of the United States. Announcing the move in September 2024, the company said the service would reach all 50 states and six U.S. territories, with the rollout finishing over the following weeks.
For families in places with no government warning network, that is a real change. The system can ping a phone seconds before shaking starts, and those few seconds are often what people need to drop, cover and move away from windows.
Phones as sensors
The older arrangement was limited to the West Coast. Since 2020, Google had worked with the United States Geological Survey, California’s Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the ShakeAlert system to deliver alerts in California, Oregon and Washington. Those alerts depend on traditional seismometers.
The new coverage leans on something already in people’s pockets. Android phones carry accelerometers that can sense vibration. When handsets in one area register shaking, Google analyses the crowdsourced data to decide whether an earthquake is actually under way. The company said the same technology was already sending alerts in 97 other countries.
What users see
An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 or greater triggers one of two warnings. A “Be Aware” alert signals weak or light shaking and gives people a heads-up that stronger shaking may follow. A “Take Action” alert means moderate to extreme shaking is expected, and it prompts the user to protect themselves straight away.
When the shaking stops, users can tap for advice on what to do next. Earthquake information from the system also appears in Google Search for anyone who types “Earthquake near me”.
Expert input
Google said it had worked with the seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones, the academic researcher Dr. Jeannette Sutton and the Global Disaster Preparedness Center to improve the alerts. It also analyses data after each detected quake to refine the system, and said it would keep working with the earthquake community, emergency managers and device makers. A paper on the science behind the system was promised.
