Your Android phone has a hidden life-saving feature you may not know about: it can detect earthquakes and send you early warnings, potentially giving you several seconds to prepare. This feature is already active in over 100 countries, including the U.S., and those precious seconds can make all the difference during a seismic event.

Figure 1. Detecting Earthquakes.

Even better, the alerts are now expanding to Wear OS smartwatches. As long as your watch is connected to the internet, you’ll receive earthquake alerts directly on your wrist—even if your phone isn’t with you. Figure 1 shows Detecting Earthquakes.

Where to Find the Alert Settings

This tool is officially called the Android Earthquake Alerts System. The exact location in your settings menu may vary depending on your phone brand, but on most Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices, you can find it under:

Settings > Safety and emergency > Earthquake alerts

The system is usually enabled by default when you set up your device, but it’s worth checking in case it’s been disabled [1]. All it takes is a quick toggle to turn it on again. You’ll also see an explanation of how the feature works, safety advice, and a demo mode—though be warned, the alert sound is intentionally loud.

As for Wear OS devices, no extra setup is required. Your smartwatch will automatically mirror the earthquake alerts from your phone, ensuring that you get notified regardless of the device you’re using.

How the Alerts Work

Google uses a combination of data sources to deliver timely earthquake warnings. These include:

• ShakeAlert: A network of seismic sensors managed by the U.S. Geological Survey.
• Android phones themselves: The built-in accelerometers on billions of devices anonymously contribute data, creating a massive, crowd-sourced early warning system.

When an earthquake is detected, your device will display a notification that includes:

• The distance to the earthquake’s epicenter
• The estimated magnitude
• The expected intensity of shaking

For mild tremors, you’ll get a simple pop-up. But for stronger earthquakes, your phone will override silent modes and Do Not Disturb settings, play a loud alert tone, and take over the entire screen with a full warning. It will also offer safety tips, such as: Drop, Cover, and Hold On.

Tapping on the alert gives you more information about the quake and how to stay safe—like steering clear of damaged buildings, checking for gas leaks, and wearing shoes to avoid debris.

These features are designed to be quietly helpful in the background, and ideally, you’ll never need them. But understanding how they work can help you stay calm—and safe—when every second counts.

References:

1. https://www.popsci.com/diy/how-android-can-detect-earthquakes/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-intl

Cite this article:

Keerthana S (2025), How Your Android Phone Is Capable of Detecting Earthquakes, AnaTechMaz, pp.264.