Your Android Phone Is Now Earthquake Detector

Android phones will now be powered with an earthquake detector in it acting as a mini or handheld seismometer, according to news.

It will be powered by an application called “ShakeAlert” which is an earthquake early-warning system.

“Seismology experts consulted by Google said turning smartphones into mini-seismographs marked a major advancement, despite the inevitably of erroneous alerts from a work in progress, and the reliance on a private company's algorithms for public safety. More than 2.5 billion devices, including some tablets, run Google's Android operating system.” (Gadgets ndtv)

“If phones detect an earthquake, they send their city-level location to Google, which can triangulate the epicenter and estimate the magnitude with as few as several hundred reports,…” (Gadgets ndtv)

The application could help people having android phone or smartphones be inform and be ready for the earthquake coming and ongoing.

“Google will use your phone’s accelerometer to detect the movement.” (engadget)

“An Android phone can become a “mini seismometer” because it has an accelerometer — the thing that detects if you’ve rotated it or not. Android’s system uses the data from that sensor to see if the phone is shaking. It only is on when an Android phone is plugged in and not in use, to preserve battery life.” (The Verge)

Image from The Verge website