Google turns Android phones into earthquake sensors; California to get alerts

A damaged building is seen after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico on June 23, 2020. If Google’s approaches for detecting and alerting prove effective, warnings would reach more people, including for the first time Indonesia and other developing countries with few traditional sensors. — Reuters

OAKLAND, California: Alphabet Inc’s Google’s Android phones on Aug 11 started detecting earthquakes around the world to provide data that could eventually give billions of users precious seconds of warning of a tremor nearby, with an alerting feature first rolling out in California.

Japan, Mexico and California already use land-based sensors to generate warnings, aiming to cut injuries and property damage by giving people further away from the epicenter of an earthquake seconds to protect themselves before the shaking starts.