Google says the earthquake alert system built into Android alerted 11.4 million people before the Venezuela earthquake hit - here's how to find it on your phone

Android earthquake alerts reached 11.4 million Venezuelans last week
The feature is already installed on 2.5 billion Android phones.
If you live in a country covered by the feature, it should be enabled by default.

As of 2021, Android phones come with a built-in earthquake detection feature, and according to Google figures, it was able to warn 11.4 million people in advance about the devastating double earthquakes that hit Venezuela on June 24.

That figure comes from the New York Times, and the early warning came up to two minutes before the ground began to shake. The first alerts were sent just nine seconds after the earthquake began underground, according to Google.

The system works by using accelerometers built into Android phones to detect faster, softer seismic waves known as p waves. This data is automatically anonymized and reported in the background to Google, and once there are enough matching reports, an alert is sent to all Android users who may be affected.

How to enable earthquake warnings

Android Earthquake Alert System

Safety information is also included. (Image credit: Google/Future)

Android’s earthquake alert system is enabled by default on modern Android phones – to check this from Settings, tap Security and emergency so Earthquake alerts. However, you must be in one of the 98 supported countries, listed by Google here, which include Australia and the United States.

How close you are to the epicenter affects the alerts you see in the event of an earthquake. More severe warnings will pierce through any Do Not Disturb settings you have in place, take up the entire screen, and play a loud sound. If less severe shaking is expected, you may receive a normal pop-up notification.

As of last year, Google says Android’s earthquake alert system has detected more than 18,000 earthquakes worldwide and sent more than 2,000 alerts. This feature means that at least 2.5 billion people around the world have access to an earthquake early warning system, even if there is nothing in place at the government level.

However, this isn’t something you can currently get on iPhones, not even with a Google app. What iOS can do is broadcast official warnings from authorities, including about earthquakes: from Settings, tap Notificationsand you will see toggle switches for Extreme alerts and Serious alerts.

It’s unclear how many deaths or injuries could have been prevented by Android’s alert system in the case of the Venezuela earthquake, but it appears that millions were alerted at least a few seconds in advance that something was about to happen.

Google logo on black background next to text that says