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Study Validates Android Phones as Global Earthquake Early-Warning System

The Android Earthquake Alerts program uses accelerometers in billions of devices to issue millions of precise warnings monthly.

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© Océanos y dados, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, with edits using Canva.

Overview

  • The system now covers 98 countries and territories with over 2.3 billion Android devices opted in by default.
  • From 2021 through 2024 the network detected an average of 312 earthquakes per month and captured more than 11,000 tremors worldwide.
  • Alerts for quakes of magnitude 4.5 and above average 60 events and 18 million notifications each month.
  • Only three false alarms were recorded in 1,279 events as of March 2024, prompting targeted algorithm updates to reduce spurious triggers.
  • Android-based detection complements conventional networks like ShakeAlert by identifying P and S waves and categorizing alerts as “Be Aware” or “Take Action.”