Google’s “Android Earthquake Alert System” now available in Pakistan

The “Android Earthquake Alerts System” will now work in Pakistan, Google announced on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. The no-cost service is a helpful Android feature that detects earthquakes around the world and alerts people.

The alerts system uses sensors in Android smartphones such as accelerometers to detect seismic activities – shaking in simple words. It then sends a signal back to the Google earthquake detection server, along with the coarse location where the activity (shaking) is happening. Google aggregates similar data from other phones to determine it’s an earthquake. It also evaluates how big the earthquake is.

With the above system in place, if Google detects it’s an earthquake happening, it sends a signal to Google Search so that people can get near-instant information when they search for “earthquake” or “earthquake near me”.

Not only that; On mobile devices, the Android Earthquake Alerts System displays two types of alerts, depending on the magnitude and intensity of the earthquake. Both alert types are only sent for earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater – Be Aware Alert, and Take Action Alert.

Be Aware alerts people when earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.5 occur, or an intensity level of 3 or 4 on the MMI scale. The notification is sent along with the distance of the earthquake’s epicenter. The alert uses the phone’s current volume, vibration, and Do Not Disturb settings.

Take Action is a full-screen alert for earthquakes with a magnitude higher than 4.5, or an intensity level of 5 and above on the MMI scale. To help people prepare for potential heavy shaking, full-screen instructions are shown and the phone plays a loud sound.

How to turn on or off the alerts?

Users who do not wish to receive these alerts can turn this off in device settings. To check on your Android device if the alerts are on, simply go to Settings > Location > Advanced > Earthquake Alerts. Some Android smartphones may not have this option due to the OEM software restrictions.

Regional Availability

The Android Earthquake Alerts System was first introduced in New Zealand and Greece. It is available now in more countries including Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Philippines, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United States of America and Uzbekistan.

Pakistan has experienced several earthquakes in the past especially in the northern and western parts of the country. With the expansion of this earthquake alerts system, Android users in Pakistan may receive automatic early warning alerts that help them be prepared for an emergency.

Get more information on Crisis Response blog by Google or watch an introductory video below.