Google expanded Android's earthquake alerts to more than 200 countries and regions. Learn what the three alert levels mean before your phone sounds one.
On October 15, 2026, Google expanded the Android Earthquake Alerts System from 98 countries and regions to more than 200. Your phone may already have it switched on. The system uses three alert levels, and the top two can break through a silenced phone. Learning them now beats decoding a siren mid-quake.
Many countries lack a dedicated warning network. Google built one from phones. Your phone's small motion sensor, the one that knows when you rotate the screen, can pick up the fast first waves of an earthquake. When a dense cluster of phones detects them, Google's servers calculate the epicenter and alert nearby devices before the more destructive waves arrive. A phone that is plugged in and sitting still works as a sensor.
Google says alerts reached 11.4 million people when magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes hit Venezuela in June. Some got seconds of warning and others up to two minutes. Venezuela has no national warning system. The system has had misfires, such as a false alarm in Brazil in February 2025.
The levels use the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale, which rates shaking as people feel it. Level 3 is like a truck rumbling past. Level 4 is the same truck hitting the building. At level 5, objects tip over. A Be Aware alert follows your volume settings, so a silent phone stays silent. The Take Action screen tells you to drop, cover and hold on.
In the coming months, Be Ready alerts will show a map of where shaking was detected and the estimated magnitude. A button will offer more details as information comes in. None of that is on phones today.
Google turns the feature on by default in supported regions. Software updates and carrier settings can sometimes reset permissions, so check. The system also needs Wi-Fi or mobile data, plus location services, to place your phone and send a local warning.
Hearing the demo once means the sound will not cost you precious seconds later.
Check that Android earthquake alerts are on, then play the demo once so the Take Action siren is familiar before a real quake.
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