Google launched its Earthquake Alert feature recently in India. It claimed to alert the users running Android 5 or later on their devices of earthquake. However, the feature didn’t work when strong tremors were felt yesterday which leaves many questions like why didn’t Google’s Earthquake alert work.
Strong tremors were felt on Tuesday around 3:00 pm IST in many parts of north India, including Delhi-NCR and parts of Uttar Pradesh, following the multiple earthquakes in Nepal at around 2:30 pm IST.
Also Read | 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Nepal, strong tremors felt across Delhi-NCR
Earthquake of Magnitude:6.2, Occurred on 03-10-2023, 14:51:04 IST, Lat: 29.39 & Long: 81.23, Depth: 5 Km ,Location:Nepal for more information Download the BhooKamp App https://t.co/rBpZF2ctJG @ndmaindia @KirenRijiju @Indiametdept @Dr_Mishra1966 @Ravi_MoES pic.twitter.com/tOduckF0B9
— National Center for Seismology (@NCS_Earthquake) October 3, 2023
Why didn’t Google Earthquake Alerts work in India?
Google partnered with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), part of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, to launch Android Earthquake Alerts System in India on September 27.
However, the feature is gradually rolling out to Android 5 and later users, suggesting that most users in India may not have access to it yet. The latest Android smartphones have the earthquake alert feature in their Emergency settings, but it’s currently inactive in India.
Google acknowledges the limitations of the service, including its inability to detect all earthquakes accurately. The delayed rollout could be the reason for the feature not being widely available yet. It also failed to alert the earthquake in Türkiye, also known as Turkey.
Also Read | Google Android earthquakes alert system launched in India: How to set it up, use, other questions answered
How to turn on Earthquake Alerts on Android?
To receive alerts, ensure your phone is connected to the internet and has location settings enabled. Next, activate the earthquake alerts setting by following these steps:
- Open your phone’s Settings.
- Select Safety & emergency and then Earthquake alerts. If you don’t find Safety & emergency, go to Location, then Advanced, and finally Earthquake alerts.
- Toggle the Earthquake alerts switch to turn them on or off.
