The simple trick your phone can use to save you from an earthquake

Smartphones have been functioning for years as a sort of Swiss Army knife, packing all kinds of tools. From social media to health-care features. They can even be key when it comes to alerting users to a potential natural disaster, such as the one that occurred Wednesday morning in Russia, where an 8.8 magnitude earthquake put numerous Pacific Rim countries on tsunami alert .

When it comes to detecting an earthquake, Android devices have an earthquake alert feature. In the United States, this feature relies on ShakeAlert technology, which uses a series of seismic sensors to send alerts to users' devices even before the tremors begin.

Outside of North America, the Android feature takes advantage of the small accelerometers built into today's phones , which can detect vibrations that indicate an earthquake could be in progress. "If your phone detects something it thinks might be an earthquake, it sends a signal to our earthquake detection server along with the approximate location of the shaking. The server then combines information from many phones to figure out if an earthquake is occurring," Google explains.

To make this possible, Google is using the more than 2 billion Android phones around the world as "mini seismographs" to create the world's largest earthquake detection network: "The phones detect the vibration and shaking speed of an earthquake and alert Android users in affected areas accordingly."

When the system detects an earthquake measuring over 4.5 on magnitude, it sends an alert to users in the area. It can even do so faster than emergency services, as demonstrated mid-month when Almería suffered a 5.5 magnitude earthquake .

The tool offers two different alert systems . If the user is only likely to notice a tremor between 3 and 4 magnitude, the danger alert is sent as a normal notification. However, if the user is likely to notice an earthquake of 5 magnitude or more , the device makes a loud sound and the screen lights up, even if Do Not Disturb mode is active.

"Tapping on any of the alerts will display earthquake safety information, which consists of five simple steps you can take to increase your safety after an earthquake. It also provides a detailed map with an initial estimate of the earthquake's location and magnitude," Google explains.

The Android tool works well, but it's not infallible. Just a few days ago, Google acknowledged that the system had failed during the 2023 earthquake in Turkey, which left more than 55,000 dead and 100,000 injured. Specifically, it failed to send the appropriate alert to thousands of users who ultimately suffered the effects of the catastrophe.

Currently, iPhone users don't have access to any of this functionality. Apple, however, does allow emergency, government, and public safety alerts to be activated. These can be activated through the phone's settings, and when one arrives, a loud sound is emitted to draw the device's owner's attention.

In any case, in the App Store, Apple's app store, you can find several tools that can be very useful in the event of an earthquake. Among the most highly rated is "Earthquake," which has been downloaded millions of times and displays real-time information on earthquakes occurring around the world. You can also set up alerts to stay informed about the event at all times.