The Android Earthquake Alerts system prioritises scale over precision, leveraging the widespread use of Android smartphones, which collect motion data by default unless opted out
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Google utilised motion sensors in over two billion mobile phones from 2021 to 2024 to detect earthquakes and issued automated warnings to millions across 98 countries, revealed a Science journal analysis released last week.
The analysis shows that Google’s system recorded over 11,000 quakes, matching the performance of traditional seismometers.
Independent earthquake researchers commend the system but call for greater transparency into Google’s proprietary technology before public officials rely on it.
Traditional seismometer-based alert systems exist in places like Mexico, Japan, and the US west coast.
In 2020, Google launched a crowd-sourced system using Android phones to detect early tremors.
Data from its first three years, released recently, confirm its effectiveness and improvement.
Google notes that annual earthquake deaths average thousands, but its mobile-based alerts have expanded access tenfold since 2019.
“It’s very impressive: most countries don’t have an earthquake early-warning system, and this can help provide that service,” Allen Husker, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology, was quoted as saying by Nature.
However, he seeks more access to Google’s data and algorithms.
Google’s scientists claim they’re as transparent as possible, citing privacy constraints on sharing raw phone data.
They told Nature that the Science paper aims to clarify the system’s operations.
“That really is the origin of this paper,” says Richard Allen, a University of California, Berkeley seismologist and Google visiting faculty.
“I hope the community will recognise that and appreciate that.”
How does Google’s Earthquake Alerts system work?
The Android Earthquake Alerts system prioritises scale over precision, leveraging the widespread use of Android smartphones, which collect motion data by default unless opted out.
Google’s algorithms analyse signals, accounting for regional geological and construction variations, as well as differences in phone motion sensors.
Challenges persist in detecting major earthquakes.
The system underestimated two powerful 2023 Turkey quakes, sending 4.5 million warnings. After algorithm upgrades, re-analysis showed the system could have issued urgent “TakeAction” alerts to ten million phones.
“This shows they have been working to improve the system since 2023, with tangible positive results,” says Harold Tobin, a University of Washington seismologist.
