Android Earthquake Alerts Now Available Across All 50 States, 6 US Territories

Google has provided Android Earthquake Alerts to select state and country residents starting in 2020. It’s important work because even a few seconds of knowing an earthquake is about to shake your location can get you to an area that’s more safe. Today, Google announced a massive expansion of the service to all 50 US states and 6 US territories.

For users in California, Oregon and Washington, users will continue to have their alerts powered by the ShakeAlert system, utilizing traditional seismometers to detect earthquakes. For all out states and supported territories, “this expansion uses the built-in accelerometers in Android phones to bring another layer of preparedness and potentially life-saving information to people across every state,” the company explained in a blog post.

Using the accelerometer to sense vibrations and an apparent earthquake, the system quickly analyzes the crowdsourced data to determine if an earthquake is occurring. Google says it has been working with many experts to continue the system’s improvement.

Depending on the severity of the earthquake, you’ll get two types of notifications. A little pop up on your screen if it’s pretty weak with light shaking or a complete screen takeover for moderate to extreme shaking. These are called Take Action alerts, complete with the classic drop, cover, and hold instructions.

For us on the west coast who are still awaiting the Big One, hopefully these alerts are useful one day.

// Google