Android Alerts Give Venezuela Seconds of Warning Before Quakes

Google’s Android-based Earthquake Alerts system uses accelerometers in billions of phones to detect P-waves, quickly estimate an earthquake’s location and magnitude, and push alerts to devices in the affected region before the stronger shaking arrives. During Venezuela’s June 2026 quakes (7.2 and 7.5), Google said 11.4 million people received warnings, with alerts expanding as the event evolved and about 1.4 million of the most urgent “Take Action” warnings issued. The system works even where a country lacks a government network and has expanded to nearly 100 countries since 2021, powered by Android on roughly 70% of smartphones. It’s too early to tell if lives were saved, but seconds of warning can give people time to drop, cover and hold on.