Your Android phone can do a lot of things, but if you live in an earthquake-prone area, it just might save your life. Rolling out as part of the latest Google Play Services update, Android phones everywhere will be able to detect when an earthquake is about to hit—and possibly alert users to take cover.
Google is teaming with ShakeAlert in California that taps into a network of hundreds of seismometers installed across the state that “sends data to a central site where ground motion signals are analyzed, earthquakes are detected and warnings are issued.� According to ShakeAlert, studies show that the warning time would range from a few seconds to tens of seconds. That might not seem like much time, but even a few seconds could give someone time to take protective actions and save a life.