Google Earthquake Alert effectively warned Filipinos moments before the earthquake

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Manila, Philippines – Filipinos have been able to anticipate an earthquake largely because of Google’s Android Earthquake Alerts System that has been around for a couple of years now.

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Calatagan, Batangas in June

Many Filipinos immediately took to social media to report or get updates if an earthquake did indeed happen, and several shared about a notification they received from the Android Earthquake Alerts System.

Most of the smartphone users received a notification moments before the earthquake occurred in their areas. The notification even estimated the magnitude of the earthquake and the distance of the earthquake from the users.

This is separate from the free text alerts sent by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council as Filipino iPhone users also receive such messages.

Google launched its free Android Earthquake Alerts System globally in June 2021, after initially launching in New Zealand and Greece, to provide early warnings when seismic activity is detected in the area using the accelerometers built into Android smartphones.

Smartphones send signals and a rough location to a Google server which then transcribes information from other smartphones to analyze the likelihood and magnitude of an earthquake.

“Our country, which is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, is prone to natural disasters, and this update will play an important role in disaster preparedness and risk reduction,” Bernadette Nakario, director of Google in the Philippines, said at the time of the system’s launch.

Related: 6.3-magnitude earthquake shakes parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila

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