Google acknowledged in 2023 that its "Android Earthquake Alerts" system failed to deliver critical warnings during the devastating earthquake in Turkey. BBC news reported this.
The first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.8, could have sent life-threatening "Take Action" alerts to 10 million people within a 158 km radius of the epicenter. However, only 469 such alerts were sent.
According to Google, half a million users received low-level "Be Aware" alerts about minor tremors—these do not disrupt silent mode or block the screen.
The earthquake occurred on February 6 at 04:17—when people were asleep. The strong tremors resulted in over 55,000 deaths and more than 100,000 injuries. Android-powered phones account for over 70% of the market in Turkey, but the system initially misestimated the first tremor as only 4.5–4.9 in magnitude.
Google improved the algorithm after the incident, and according to new modeling results, the current system can now send 10 million "Take Action" alerts and an additional 67 million "Be Aware" warnings.
However, some scientists are dissatisfied with the delay in reporting such critical errors. "This was not a minor incident—people died," said Professor Elizabeth Reddy from the Colorado School of Mines in the U.S.
Google stated that this system is intended as a supplement to national warning systems, but some experts worry that certain governments may be over-relying on this technology.
