Google is often lauded for adding new features to make the Android experience seamless for everyone out there. One such feature is the earthquake alerts. However, Google has deactivated Android’s earthquake alerts in Brazil following false alarms fiasco.
Google has deactivated earthquake alerts in Brazil after users received false alarms
Folks over at AndroidPolice reported that Android smartphone users in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro received false earthquake alerts in the early hours of February 14. Users reportedly received emergency notifications of earthquakes of 4.4 and 5.5 magnitude in Brazil’s Ubatuba and Baixada Santista regions, respectively.
Google’s Android Earthquake Alerts System sent those notifications to users in Brazil at around 2 AM. Well, the surprising part was that there was no such earthquake in those regions. In fact, the alerts were just an error. CNN Brazil reported that Civil Defense didn’t notify and had no knowledge of earthquakes taking place in the early hours of last Friday.
After the report spread like wildfire, Google was quick to apologize to Android users who received false earthquake alerts. However, the company didn’t mention how the error happened. Google further confirmed that it has deactivated the earthquake alert in Brazil with immediate effect. The company also noted that it is investigating why the alert system failed.
Google’s statement
In an email sent to The Verge, Google spokesperson Ed Fernandes noted that Android’s Earthquake Alerts System “is a supplemental service that uses Android phones to quickly estimate earthquake shaking and provide early warnings to users.” The email from Google’s spokesperson further details the incident of false earthquake alerts in Brazil.
It reads, “On February 14th, our system detected signals from devices 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.”
Google also says that the Android Earthquake Alerts System “isn’t designed to replace any official or other public warning systems.” For the uninitiated, the company started testing the feature in California back in 2020 and launched it in August of the same year. Later, Google expanded the earthquake alerts feature to more countries, with Brazil being one of them.