Google is expanding Android earthquake alerts from 98 countries and regions to more than 200, while preparing a more detailed “Be Ready” warning. Its 15 October announcement says the revised warning will add a shaking-area map, an estimated magnitude and guidance in the coming months.
India already has the service. Google announced its Indian rollout on 27 September 2023, following consultation with the National Disaster Management Authority and the National Centre for Seismology. That announcement covered Android 5 and later, with alerts in Indian languages supported by Android. The latest global expansion should therefore not be read as the service’s first arrival here or a requirement to buy a new handset.
The company says it has sent more than one billion earthquake alerts. It names Panama and Guatemala among the newly supported places, with rollout there and in other added regions beginning on 15 October and expected to finish over the following week. That timetable concerns regional access. The richer Be Ready display follows later.
Check the alert settings on your phone
The three warning levels have different jobs. Google’s technical overview describes Be Aware as a notification for light shaking that respects the phone’s volume and Do Not Disturb settings. Be Ready is intended to attract attention for noticeable shaking and may override Do Not Disturb. Take Action is the more urgent alert: it can switch on the screen and sound loudly for expected moderate to heavy shaking. These differences matter when interpreting what a phone displays. The overview says these notices are sent for earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or above; which warning appears depends on the shaking expected at the recipient’s location.
To check the setting, open Settings, then Safety & emergency, then Earthquake alerts. Google’s current help page gives an alternative route if that section is absent: Location, Advanced, Earthquake alerts. Alerts are enabled by default, but checking the switch is more useful than assuming it remains on. Wi-Fi or mobile data must be enabled to receive them. India appears in the help page’s current list of supported countries and regions.
The Indian launch guidance also requires the phone’s location setting to be enabled. It explains that sensors in charging phones can pick up earthquake-like shaking; reports from several phones help the server estimate an event and warn nearby users. This is detection after an earthquake starts, rather than a forecast of a future earthquake. Google described the service as supplementary, with early estimates that may differ from later official scientific analysis.
There are limits even when the settings are correct. Google warns that some earthquakes will not be detected and that estimates of magnitude or shaking intensity can be wrong. A message may arrive before, during or after shaking starts. A user can also receive an alert without feeling shaking locally. The help page says approximate device locations determine which phones receive warnings; that information is not used to identify or locate a particular user.
Know what to do when shaking starts
For the response itself, the Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority’s published NDMA guidance tells people indoors to get down, take cover beneath sturdy furniture and hold on until shaking stops. Stay away from windows, glass and objects that could fall. Remain indoors until shaking ends and leaving is safe.
The same guidance distinguishes outdoor and driving situations. People already outside should keep clear of buildings, trees, streetlights and utility wires, then remain in open space until shaking stops. Drivers should stop as soon as it is safe, avoid stopping beneath or near structures and overhead wires, and stay in the vehicle. Once shaking has ended, the guidance calls for caution around roads, bridges or ramps that may have been damaged.
For Indian Android users, the useful checks are whether earthquake alerts and location are enabled, whether the phone has connectivity, and whether everyone understands how to respond to shaking. The redesigned warning is still forthcoming. For other recent changes to everyday devices, Dalimss News has reported on Samsung’s planned Gujarati Now Nudge support and the Windows and Chrome updates flagged by CERT-In.
