Turkey Earthquake: Google’s Alert System Failed Millions, Company Admits

Tech giant Google has acknowledged that its Android Earthquake Alerts (AEA) system failed to issue timely, life-saving warnings before the devastating 2023 earthquakes in Turkey. The disaster tragically claimed more than 55,000 lives and injured over 100,000 people.

Although the AEA system was active at the time of the twin quakes on 6 February, it did not detect the full magnitude of the threat. Only 469 people received the system’s highest-level “Take Action” alert, designed to prompt urgent safety measures, despite nearly 10 million residents living within 98 miles of the epicentre.


Instead, around half a million users received a lower-level “Be Aware” notification, which is intended for milder tremors and far less noticeable. This alert does not override phone settings like Do Not Disturb, and would likely have gone unnoticed, especially since the first quake struck at 4:17am when most people were asleep.

The Android-powered alert system operates on over 70% of smartphones in Turkey. Initially, Google stated the system had “performed well,” as reported by the BBC. However, internal investigations later revealed the system significantly underestimated the earthquake’s magnitude, recording it as just 4.5 to 4.9 on the moment magnitude scale instead of the actual 7.8.

A second major tremor later the same day also exposed inaccuracies. This time, AEA issued 8,158 “Take Action” alerts and nearly four million “Be Aware” warnings — still insufficient given the quake’s severity.

“We continue to improve the system based on what we learn in each earthquake,” a Google spokesperson told the BBC.

Google’s AEA platform uses Android phone accelerometers to detect ground movement and aims to warn users seconds before seismic waves hit. When triggered correctly, the loud “Take Action” alert overrides all phone settings and fills the screen — potentially saving lives.


However, months of BBC reporting across the quake zone did not uncover a single user who received this crucial alert ahead of the first tremor. Google has since published a study in Science, admitting to “limitations to the detection algorithms”.

A revised simulation of the 7.8 magnitude quake produced a different outcome: 10 million “Take Action” alerts and 67 million “Be Aware” notifications, indicating flaws in the original software.

“Every earthquake early warning system grapples with the same challenge—tuning algorithms for large magnitude events,” Google said.

Yet, experts are concerned about the delay in disclosing these issues. “I’m really frustrated that it took so long,” said Elizabeth Reddy, assistant professor at the Colorado School of Mines. “We're not talking about a little event - people died - and we didn't see a performance of this warning in the way we would like.”

Some scientists warn against over-reliance on Google’s system at the expense of robust national alerts. “Would some places make the calculation that Google’s doing it, so we don’t have to?” asked Harold Tobin, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. “I think being very transparent about how well it works is absolutely critical.”

Google insists its alert system is meant to support, not replace, national systems. Since the 2023 quake, the company has updated its algorithm and expanded AEA coverage to 98 countries.