Android phones will soon allow you to get an earthquake alert before the shaking starts, something iPhones won't have just yet.
The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services is working with Google to embed an early warning technology into all Android phones, scheduled to arrive with the latest update.
"Instead of having to download an app, it'll be directly in the operating system," Cal OES Spokesman Brian Ferguson. "Just like you might get an Amber alert or a different kind of alert. No additional action will be required to be taken."
Ferguson said in the infamous Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, where the epicenter was located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, you would have gotten about a 15-second warning if you were at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
"Everybody in California who has an Android phone with Google Play services, should be seeing this hopefully in the next couple of weeks, if everything goes well," Google Engineer Marc Stogaitis told KCBS Radio.
iPhones won't have it, but users can download the "My Shake" app for alerts.
We’re using the reach of @Android’s platform to help detect earthquakes. Starting today, your Android phone can be part of the Android Earthquake Alerts System. Here's how it works → https://t.co/o93oWYRjbB pic.twitter.com/GRfMaoi725
— Google (@Google) August 11, 2020
