Last Tuesday (25), a 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck the area near San José, California (USA). At that time, Android phone owners warned about the phenomenon seconds before the shakes.
As of 2020, all mobile phones running Google’s operating system have an earthquake detection feature. in case, the device’s accelerometer is used to inform the warning network about earthquakes.
Dave Burke, Android’s vice president of engineering, shared an image on Twitter showing the moment several mobile phones detected the vibration. Highlighted, the sensors sensed the movement before the shockwaves started.
Earthquake in SF Bay Area today. Yellow/red represents shaking Android phones that act as seismometers. The circles are our inferred estimate of the P & S waves. Earthquake alerts instantly snap to surrounding phones before waves hit pic.twitter.com/8pumt19ReI
—Dave Burke (@davey_burke) October 26, 2022
in social networks, Android users said they got the earthquake notification five to 10 seconds before they felt the tremors.. Although it’s a short break, it can help people protect themselves.
Interestingly, owners of mobile phones with the Google system also report that they were aware of this event before iPhone users. Apparently, Apple smartphones sent the alert only after the earthquake occurred.
efficient functionality
Android’s earthquake warning system also proved effective during an earthquake in the Philippines in 2021. It’s undoubtedly a technology that can help many protect themselves before shock waves.
The tool is not available for users in all countries, as in Brazilian versions of the operating system. For those living outside the country, it is possible to enable the functionality by following the steps below:
- Go to Android Settings;
- Click on Security and emergency;
- Enable the earthquake alerts feature.
Then, when the earthquake warning network detects a possible phenomenon in the area, the user receives a notification with instructions for self-protection.
Source: Tec Mundo
