Stay Safe With Google's Android Earthquake Alerts Now Available In India

Google is introducing its Earthquake Alert System for Android users in India , a collaborative effort with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the National Seismology Centre ( NSC ). This system leverages smartphone sensors, particularly accelerometers, to function as miniature seismometers, detecting tremors and providing advanced earthquake warnings to users in India.

Here's how Google's Android Earthquake Alert System operates:

Sensor Detection: When Android phones are connected to a power source and charging, they have the capability to sense the initial tremors of an earthquake using their built-in accelerometers.

Data Collaboration: Multiple smartphones sensing earthquake-like movements simultaneously can transmit this data to Google's servers. Google's algorithms then analyse this data to estimate whether an earthquake might be occurring. This analysis helps determine key earthquake characteristics, including its epicentre and magnitude.

Alert Notifications: Based on the data analysis, Google sends out notifications to Android phones in the affected area before significant shaking occurs. There are two types of alerts:

Be Aware Alerts: These provide information for light shaking.
Take Action Alerts: These are more urgent and designed to get users' attention in the case of moderate to heavy shaking. They are sent for earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.5+ on the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale.

Respecting User Settings: Be Aware alerts respect the user's device settings, while Take Action alerts have the capability to break through the "Do Not Disturb" mode to ensure the user receives the alert.

Information and Safety Measures: In addition to alerts, the system offers users information about local seismic events and safety measures when they search for queries like "Earthquake near me" using Google Search.

Multilingual Support: Google has made these earthquake alerts available in all Indian languages supported by the Android operating system.

How to Enable Earthquake Alerts on Android:

• The Android Earthquake Alert feature will be accessible on smartphones running Android 5.0 Lollipop and newer versions in the coming week.
• To receive alerts, users must ensure that their smartphone is connected to the internet.

Additionally, both Android Earthquake Alerts and location settings must be enabled.

Users can activate this feature by turning on Location Services and navigating to Safety & Emergency in Settings.

Then, select Earthquake Alerts and enable the toggle.

With this innovative system, Google aims to enhance earthquake preparedness and safety for Android users in India by providing early warnings and valuable information during seismic events.