Android Earthquake Alerts

Android Earthquake Alerts launched on August 11, 2020 — turning every Android phone in the world into part of the largest earthquake detection network ever built. I worked on this product at Google as part of the Android safety team, continuing the work I had started with Emergency Location Service. The core insight was both simple and staggering: the same accelerometer that flips your screen when you rotate your phone can also detect the initial P-wave of an earthquake. With 2+ billion Android phones in use around the world, that meant we already had the infrastructure for a global early warning system. We just had to build it. How It Works When a stationary Android phone detects vibrations consistent with a seismic P-wave, it sends an anonymized signal to Google's earthquake detection server along with a coarse location. The server aggregates signals from many phones simultaneously — cross-referencing speed, intensity, and location — to confirm an earthquake is occurring and estimate its magnitude and epicenter in near-real time. That data then triggers alerts to Android users in the affected area, giving them precious seconds to drop, cover, and hold on before the stronger shaking arrives. Two Alert Types The system delivers two levels of alert depending on expected shaking intensity: Be Aware — sent for weak to light shaking, giving users a heads-up to prepare. Take Action — sent for moderate to extreme shaking, prompting immediate protective action. Both alerts are only triggered for earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater with MMI 5+ shaking expected. Overview ShakeAlert Partnership — US In California, Oregon, and Washington, Android Earthquake Alerts integrates with ShakeAlert — the USGS-backed early warning system built on a network of 700+ seismometers across the West Coast, developed by USGS, UC Berkeley, Caltech, and state emergency services. ShakeAlert data feeds directly into the Android alert pipeline, adding government-grade seismometer precision on top of the phone-based detection layer. Scale Coverage The phone-based detection network works globally — anywhere Android phones are present. The ShakeAlert government integration initially covered California, Oregon, and Washington, with subsequent expansion across the full United States and international markets. Publication I co-authored a peer-reviewed paper published in Science magazine documenting the system's methodology, global reach, and real-world performance. Science is one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world. Global earthquake detection and warning using Android phones → Google · Product Manager, Android Safety · Earthquake Alerts · 2020 · crisisresponse.google