- by foxnews
- 01 Aug 2025
I read a geeky article that I think you'll also find amazing.
Your Android phone can warn you about an earthquake before the shaking even starts. It's built right in. You can do the same with your iPhone, too.
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Earthquakes begin with fast, subtle P-waves. Those are the early rumbles most people don't feel at all. But your phone's accelerometer (yep, the same sensor that knows when you turn your phone sideways) can detect those waves.
This gives you 15 to 60 seconds of warning. Not much time, but enough to move away from windows, duck under a desk or stop that ladder climb. Seconds matter when the ground starts rolling.
It covers 98 countries and pushes out around 18 million alerts a month.
In some cases, people had over a minute's notice before the shaking started. And false alarms? Just three total across more than 1,300 confirmed events. Try getting those odds from your weather app. That's incredible for a free feature hiding in your phone.
Even if you don't live on the San Andreas Fault, make sure the setting is on in case you travel to an area where you need it:
Got a Wear OS smartwatch? It'll buzz your wrist, too, even if your phone's in another room.
Award-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating tech.
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