How does the early warning system work? It failed during the February 6 earthquakes!

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 occurred with its epicenter in the Gulf of Gemlik. The earthquake was felt across the Marmara Region, particularly in Bursa and Istanbul.

A message received on Android phones before the earthquake drew attention. The notification sent via the Earthquake Alerts System stated, "Light shaking expected. Approximately 61.1 km away, estimated magnitude 5.0 according to initial reports."

WHAT IS THE GOOGLE ANDROID EARTHQUAKE ALERTS SYSTEM?

Google has developed a free system that utilizes its infrastructure and technology to detect earthquakes worldwide and send alerts to users. 

The Android Earthquake Alerts System, developed to provide time to protect against the shaking of seismic waves when an earthquake occurs, has recently been a subject of curiosity.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Use of Accelerometer: The accelerometer found in smartphones is a sensor capable of detecting movement. Google's system uses this sensor to detect sudden movements occurring on the earth's surface.

Data Collection and Analysis: Data from users is collected in a large database. If many devices detect similar movement at the same time, it may be a sign of an earthquake. The system analyzes this data rapidly.

Sending Alerts: If the system detects that an earthquake is occurring in a specific region, it quickly sends an alert to other users in that area. This alert provides users with extra time measured in seconds, helping them stay safe.

HOW IS IT USED?

The application in question is only valid for Android devices. The Google Earthquake Alerts system is not active for iOS. The Earthquake Alerts System is used on phones running the Android operating system from the US-based tech giant Google and is offered to all users for free. However, you must enable these alert notifications on your phone. Additionally, Android's earthquake alerts are only sent if Wi-Fi, wireless internet connection, or data connection is turned on.

The Android Earthquake Alerts System uses the accelerometers found in most of the more than 3 billion Android smartphones to detect shaking and sends alerts to Android users in the affected area. The Android earthquake alert system can be configured through the "location" settings of phones. The Android operating system does not guarantee that every earthquake will be detected with this application. This is because your phone uses your location to send you alerts for earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 and above that occur in your immediate vicinity. It sends these alerts using data provided by ShakeAlert.

HOW IS IT SET UP?

To benefit from the Android earthquake alert system, a wireless connection or data connection must be turned on. You may not receive alerts for all earthquakes that occur in your region. Sometimes you may receive an alert, but you may not feel an earthquake at your location. You may receive the alert before the shaking starts, during the shaking, or after it has ended.

The steps to follow to use this feature are:

1.   Open your phone's SETTINGS app.

2.   Tap LOCATION > ADVANCED > EARTHQUAKE ALERTS.

3.   Turn on EARTHQUAKE ALERTS.

IT FAILED ON FEBRUARY 6 

BBC's leading program Newsnight revealed that Google's earthquake alert system failed to send notifications to users during the February 6 earthquakes.

Responding to the BBC's questions, Micah Berman, one of the managers responsible for this system at Google, insisted that the system worked. The company, however, did not provide any evidence that these alerts reached people widely. 

According to official data, more than 50 thousand people lost their lives in the earthquakes that affected more than 10 million people.