Android Earthquake Alerts are expanding to more than double the number of countries and regions. Some of these new locations include Panama, Guatemala and many more. This change was announced today (October 15) by Google in its blog where it shared that over 1 billion alerts have been sent so far since 2021. This reaches Android phones such as the Pixel 11 Pro and the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Android Earthquake Alerts double their reach

Google increased the reach of Android Earthquake Alerts from 98 countries and regions to more than 200. Notable countries added to the list are Panama and Guatemala, both of which were struck this month, among many more.

This is important because in an earthquake situation every second of warning could give someone a chance to take cover. Google also says that this mobile-based early alert network is the world's largest.

How your Android phone becomes a seismometer

These alerts are possible thanks to the accelerometer, which is the same sensor that rotates your screen. On most Android phones, the ability for this sensor to detect a quake is built into Google Play Services, and it's turned on by default.

When the ground shakes, a weaker but faster P-wave arrives first, then a slower, more destructive S-wave follows. If one phone catches the P-wave, it will send a signal and a rough location to Google's server. When more phones join in, the estimated location and strength gets more accurate.