What you need to know
- Google's System Services patch notes for June detail the arrival of its Early Earthquake Warning alerts on Wear OS.
- The notes state users should see the same alerts as they would on an Android device with the warning system enabled.
- In 2022, Google started expanding its warning system to even more phones in "high-risk" areas.
Google is expanding a potential life-saving feature to even more devices, and it's one you might recognize.
Mishaal Rahman for Android Authority reports that Google is starting to bring its "Early Earthquake Alerts" to Wear OS devices in a small update. The feature is wrapped in Google's recent stretch of June Google System Release patches, specifically for its Play Services. The company details this as a "Safety & Emergency" update, stating Wear OS users will soon see alerts "when an earthquake is expected."
Rahman reiterates that Google's been working on this for a few months now, after a teardown surfaced a few details.
According to the post, these earthquake alerts on Wear OS devices will display the quake's "magnitude" and "estimated distance to the epicenter." Users should, of course, take this information seriously if it ever happens and take the appropriate action to ensure their safety. Moreover, it seems Google is putting a blanket over every Wear OS user, bringing this feature to more than just "high-risk" areas, as it's done before on Android.
Elsewhere, Google's Play Services update for June includes a few bug fixes related to its Wallet app and developer updates for "Account Management" in apps. Google's changelog announced this safety feature last week, but it appears to be rolling out very slowly.
Ahead of Danger
Google first launched its Earthquake Alerts System back in 2020 and expanded its access to more countries in 2021. Essentially, the system turns your phone into a portable seismometer using its accelerometer to detect changes in the planet. The information your phone detects is sent to Google's servers, which are then "crowdsourced" with other Android phones to see if a quake is truly happening.
If confirmed, Google's system will alert all Android users within the quake's range to get to safety. Your Android will also give a few key steps on how to take cover and the appropriate way to stay safe.
"High-risk" areas were in Google's sights in 2022 when it expanded its Early Earthquake Warnings to even more phones. Now, with Wear OS devices picking it up, the company can cover another range by making its alerts even more profound. Without your phone on hand, users can still be informed about potentially life-threatening quakes.
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