Google’s Android Earthquake Alerts System Failed to Warn Millions

Google has reportedly admitted that Android’s earthquake alert system failed to warn millions of people during Turkey’s devastating earthquake of 2023. Speaking to the BBC, Google said that its early earthquake warning system partially failed. The system that leverages the sensors in Android phones to detect the early signs of an earthquake issued only lower-level notifications to users. It could have warned millions more people, saving lives during the deadly Turkey earthquake in 2023.

Google’s early earthquake detection feature on Android failed to alert 10 million people

As per the source, Google’s earthquake detection feature on Android devices sent out around 500,000 lower-level “Be Aware” alerts during Turkey’s deadly earthquake in 2023. The system aimed its alerts at less intensive shaking. It could have warned approximately 10 million people within 158 kilometers (98 miles) of the earthquake’s epicenter.

If the system worked as intended, it could have provided a crucial 10 to 35-second headstart for people to get to safety. However, the feature only sent critical alerts to just 469 individuals in the earthquake area. The search titan previously told the BBC the system had “performed well” after an investigation in 2023. The company has now admitted that the system failed during the incident.

Google admits “limitations to the detection algorithms” caused the system to fail

In a candid admission, the company’s own research analysis suggests that the Android Earthquake Alerts (AEA) system registered the quake between a magnitude of 4.5 and 4.9 on the Richter scale. It was far below the actual 7.8 magnitude levels of the earthquake in Turkey in 2023.

In recent findings published in Science magazine, the company mentioned that “limitations to the detection algorithms” caused the AEA system to fail. The company recalibrated this algorithm after the Turkey earthquake and simulated the quake. The system then triggered the correct alerts.

Google maintains that the AEA system is supplementary to national warning networks and that it continuously improves the algorithms based on insights from all seismic events. However, experts have raised concerns regarding the delay in the company’s public admission of this critical problem.

The system could have alerted more people during Turkey’s 2023 earthquake, which claimed over 55,000 lives and injured more than 100,000. A few seconds may not seem like much, but in such events, those seconds can make the difference between safety and injury.