Google Disables Android Earthquake Detection Feature in B...

Google's Android earthquake detection system, launched in California in 2020 and subsequently expanded to other countries, uses accelerometers in Android devices as a seismometer. However, it recently triggered false emergency alerts in Brazil, causing alarm among many smartphone users. The alerts, which pointed to nonexistent earthquakes in Brazil's Ubatuba and Baixada Santista regions, were issued around 2AM on a Friday morning. Following the incident, Google promptly disabled the system in Brazil and is currently investigating the cause of the false alarms.

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The Incident

The false emergency alerts were sent to Android users in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, indicating a 5.5 magnitude earthquake in the Ubatuba and Baixada Santista regions. These alerts caused concern among the users, prompting Google to disable the feature and investigate the incident.

The Android Earthquake Alerts System

Google's Android Earthquake Alerts System is a supplemental service that uses Android phones to quickly estimate earthquake shaking and provide early warnings to users. It's not designed to replace any official or other public warning systems but to supplement them. However, in this incident, the system triggered an alert without any official record of an earthquake in the region.

Google's Response

In response to the incident, Google has disabled the alerting system in Brazil and has started an investigation into what happened. Google spokesperson Ed Fernandez apologized to users for the inconvenience and reaffirmed Google's commitment to improving its tools.