Google’s Earthquake Alerts System experienced a major error in Brazil, prompting the search giant to temporarily disable it.
The feature provides alerts to users to prepare for an incoming disastrous earthquake. It basically sends an initial warning (P-wave) before the higher and more destructive S-wave occurs.
The Earthquake Alerts System has proven effective in various instances but has also failed in the past. Unfortunately, the system produced false alarms again.
Last week, users in Brazil received alerts around 2 AM, warning them of an earthquake with a 5.5 Richter rating. However, while it is a good thing that the earthquake didn’t happen, many users were alarmed by the notification.
Google apologized for the error and disabled the feature. A probe is now ongoing to determine the cause of the false alarm.
The Android Earthquake Alert System is a complementary system that uses Android phones to quickly estimate earthquake vibrations and provide alerts to people. It is not designed to replace any other official alert system. On February 14, our system detected cell phone signals near the coast of São Paulo and triggered an earthquake alert to users in the region. We promptly disabled the alert system in Brazil and are investigating the incident. We apologize to our users for the inconvenience and remain committed to improving our tools.
