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LiveScience
LiveScience
Ben Turner

Google has turned 2 billion smartphones into a global earthquake warning system — it's as effective as seismometers, tests show

Google Android AEA Earthquakes United States
Fire fighters conduct search and rescue operations among collapsed buildings in Hualien, Taiwan. .

Google has harnessed motion sensors on more than 2 billion smartphones to create an earthquake early-warning system that's as effective as standard seismometers, a new study reveals.

Between 2021 and 2024, the company's Android Earthquake Alerts (AEA) system captured more than 11,000 quakes through smartphone accelerometers and issued more than 1,200 alerts to Android users across 98 countries.

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