Seconds Before Disaster: How Google Sent Early Warnings Ahead of Venezuela Quakes

25th June 2026 at 1:20 PM

2 minutes read

Caracas : Venezuela was hit by two powerful earthquakes on Wednesday, causing several buildings to collapse and widespread damage. The earthquakes measured 7.1 and 7.5 in magnitude and are believed to be the strongest to strike the country in more than 100 years. Soon after the quakes, some people on X shared screenshots showing that Google had sent them earthquake alerts before they actually felt the shaking. This made many wonder how Google knew an earthquake was coming.

Most modern smartphones have a sensor called an accelerometer. This sensor is usually used to rotate the screen when you turn your phone, but it can also detect vibrations. When an Android phone detects unusual vibrations that may be caused by an earthquake, it sends a signal along with its approximate location to Google’s Android Earthquake Alerts System.

Google then combines data from many phones in the area. If enough phones detect similar vibrations at the same time, Google can quickly determine that an earthquake may be happening and send alerts to nearby users. With more than 2 billion Android devices connected to this system, Google has created the world’s largest earthquake detection network.

But how can Google send an alert before people feel the earthquake?

Earthquakes travel in different types of waves. The first waves, called P-waves, travel very fast and usually cause little damage. The second waves, called S-waves, move more slowly but are much stronger and cause most of the destruction. Phones can detect the faster P-waves and immediately send information to Google’s servers. Since phone signals travel at nearly the speed of light, Google can analyse the data and send warnings before the stronger S-waves arrive.

Google says it is essentially racing the speed of light against the speed of an earthquake, and the speed of light wins easily. For example, if an earthquake starts about 341 kilometres away, Google may have enough time to detect it and send alerts before the shaking reaches users.

Android offers two types of earthquake alerts. The “Be Aware” alert warns users about light shaking, while the “Take Action” alert is sent before moderate or strong shaking so people can move to a safer place. Tapping the alert also shows safety tips, information about the earthquake, and a map showing its estimated location and magnitude.

The Android Earthquake Alerts System has been available in India since 2023 on phones running Android 5 or later. To receive alerts, users must have an internet connection through Wi-Fi or mobile data. Those who do not want these alerts can turn them off in their phone settings.