Our smartphones can help keep us safe amid earthquakes in the modern world. We can swiftly locate protection with the help of earthquake alerts, which provide us with a brief warning before the shaking begins. You may enable earthquake notifications on your iOS or Android phone by following this guide. You can better prepare yourself and your loved ones for earthquake protection by setting up these notifications.
Prerequisites
Make sure you have access to the internet via Wi-Fi and mobile data before you begin. To get precise alerts, turn on the phone’s location services as well.
Enabling the Alarm
- Go to Settings: On your home screen, find and click the settings symbol.
- Safety and Emergency: Click the “Safety and Emergency” option after scrolling down.
- Earthquake notifications: Locate the ‘Earthquake Alerts’ option on your device, then click the switch to turn on the notifications.
Additional Features
- Demo: On the same screen, there’s a ‘Demo’ feature that simulates the alert, including sounding an alarm, displaying earthquake magnitude and distance, and providing immediate action recommendations.
- Learn Earthquake Safety Tips: This feature redirects to Google search and displays safety information without requiring you to type a query.
Alternative Access for Some Devices
For Android phones without the ‘Safety and Emergency’ option:
- Location Settings: Open ‘Settings’ and go to ‘Location’.
- Earthquake Alerts: Scroll down to find and activate the ‘Earthquake Alert’ option.
Device Compatibility
These steps generally apply to Android devices running Android 5 (Lollipop) and above. Devices with versions below Android 12 may have slight variations in enabling the alarm.
How to Turn On Earthquake Alerts on iPhones
- Open Settings: Go to your phone’s ‘Settings’.
- Notifications: Select ‘Notifications’.
- Emergency Alerts: Scroll down to ‘Emergency Alerts’ and toggle the switch to activate earthquake alerts.
How the Earthquake Alerts System Works
Google's Earthquake Alarm System
- Detection: Utilizes the accelerometer sensors in Android smartphones to detect seismic activity, sensing both surface vibrations and structural movements.
- Data Collection and Processing: When the alarm is enabled, the accelerometer monitors for seismic tremors. Upon detection, the smartphone sends this data to Google’s central server.
- Alert Distribution: A number of smartphones in the impacted region provide data to the server. It locates the epicenter, magnitude, and location of the earthquake by examining the pattern and strength of the tremors. It then notifies nearby devices of the earthquake..
Types of Warning Signals
- Be Aware Signals: For earthquakes with a magnitude up to 4.5 on the Richter scale. Notifies users through subtle vibrations, adjusted volume levels, and ‘Do Not Disturb’ settings.
- Take Action Signals: For earthquakes with a magnitude exceeding 4.5. Overrides ‘Do Not Disturb’ settings to ensure immediate attention, displaying a full-screen notification and prominently activating the alert sound.
Conclusion
On both Android and iPhone handsets, location services must be enabled and the internet must be active in order to set off earthquake alarms. These notifications give users timely warnings and assist them in efficiently responding to seismic events by utilizing accelerometer data. The significance of improving safety and disaster preparedness on a global scale is highlighted by this technology.
