Skip to main content

Google is turning Android phones into an earthquake tracking system

Google announced a slew of updates to Android phones on Tuesday, including the ability to detect earthquakes.

The Android Earthquake Alerts System works anywhere in the world and turns every Android device into a mini seismometer. Google says it is the largest earthquake detection network in the world.

Recommended Videos

“All smartphones come with tiny accelerometers that can sense signals that indicate an earthquake might be happening. If the phone detects something that it thinks may be an earthquake, it sends a signal to our earthquake detection server, along with a coarse location of where the shaking occurred,” wrote Marc Stogaitis, the Principal Software Engineer at Google, in a blog post.

Earthquake alerts, now part of Android

This crowdsourced earthquake detection system will allow for more accurate Google alerts and resources if you search “earthquake near me” after feeling trembles.

Tuesday’s update also includes earthquake alerts to Android devices in California through a collaboration with the United States Geological Survey and California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The technology uses signals from more than 700 seismometers across the state to warn you to take cover before shaking even begins.

Google said it’s working on bringing the earthquake alerts to other states besides California over the next year.

The updates come just one day after Southern California experienced a 4.6 magnitude earthquake. According to the National Earthquake Information Center, there are about 20,000 earthquakes in the U.S. per year.

Technology like Google’s will help with early detection for these quakes, but there’s even more advanced machine-learning technology that can predict major tremors by analyzing acoustic signals to find failing fault lines.

Allison Matyus
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Allison Matyus is a general news reporter at Digital Trends. She covers any and all tech news, including issues around social…
Android 16 might give its own spin to iPhone’s Dynamic Island alerts
The DynamicSpot Dynamic Island at the top of the Pixel 7 Pro.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve come across some interesting details about the next major build of Android. Currently in development under the apparent codename of Baklava, Android 16 will reportedly bring a cool new feature called Priority modes for notifications.

If that sounds familiar, that’s because Apple already offers a bunch of focus modes toward the same goal and bolsters the system with AI-assisted priority notifications in iOS 18. It seems Google doesn’t want to be left behind, and in doing so, could very well lift from a popular iPhone trick.

Read more
When will my phone get Android 15? Here’s everything we know
The Android 15 logo on a smartphone.

Android 15 has been available for a few weeks on select Android-based smartphones. This update was in development since February and went through three phases before finally rolling out, starting with Google's Pixel phones. If you're waiting for the latest software, your wait won't be much longer. If you're curious about when your current Android smartphone will receive the Android 15 update, here are all the details available so far.

Are you not too excited about Android 15? Well, Android 16 is now official, having recently been announced by Google. However, it's a long way from ready, given it's only just opened developer beta access.
When did Android 15 come out?

Read more
It just got easier to protect your Android phone from thieves
Android 15 theft protection.

With the release of Android 15 on Pixel devices, Google has introduced several new privacy and security enhancements. Among the notable additions are the improved theft protection features that are designed to make it harder for thieves to access your data. Initially, it was a bit difficult to find these settings. However, as Android Authority first noted, that's about to change.

When Android 15 launched, to find the theft protection menu on devices running Android 15, you had to follow these steps:

Read more