Google: Android now offers earthquake detection

Smartphones are not only good for surfing the Internet, using a messenger or playing mobile games. Increasingly, these everyday companions also offer exciting security features. Google has now developed earthquake detection for Android devices. And this one seems to work really well and warns the user at the right moment.

Android with earthquake detection

At the unveiling of the iPhone 14 in September, Apple boasted of reliable accident detection. Should a traffic accident occur, the revised motion sensors in the smartphone register this. Depending on the setting, the iPhone then automatically contacts a contact person or dials 911 directly. However, the whole thing does not yet appear to be fully developed and suitable for everyday use. After all, false alarms have already been triggered a few times in the U.S. because the iPhone falsely registered roller coaster rides as accidents. Google’s new earthquake feature is supposed to be a bit smarter. The search engine giant wants to establish this safety feature in its in-house Android operating system to warn its users of impending earthquakes.

Early warning saves lives

The sensors, which are used in Android smartphones, have been able to detect earthquakes for some time. For this purpose, they work permanently in the background. The data that Google can store on its servers is correspondingly large. Even though the tech company is often accused of acting as a data octopus, the whole thing also has great advantages. For example, Google can also detect untypical earth movements based on the motion sensors and thus warn of earthquakes at an early stage. The feature is supposed to be able to warn its users from an earthquake strength of 4.5. Google itself has now demonstrated how well this works.

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For example, there was an earthquake in San Francisco that also affected Google employees themselves. A corresponding notification reached users in the area early, meaning they were able to get to safety before the earthquake struck. Google has thus integrated another practical safety feature into its operating system. The Google Maps service scored points during the peak of the pandemic with its practical Covid layer, for example. The warning of forest fires also works in a similar way. This can also be viewed in Maps.