Google acknowledges earthquake alert system failure in Turkey: 10 million people missed warning

Google has confirmed that its Android Earthquake Alerts (AEA) system malfunctioned during the devastating earthquake in Turkey on February 6, 2023. As a result, around 10 million people did not receive the critical alert that could have given them about 30 seconds to seek safety.

The AEA system is built into Android devices and uses smartphone accelerometers to detect seismic activity. When tremors are detected, location data is sent to Google's servers, where algorithms analyze input from thousands of devices to determine the magnitude and epicenter. Based on this analysis, users receive either a high-priority “Take Action” alert with a loud sound and override of “Do Not Disturb” mode, or a lower-priority “Be Aware” notification without sound.

On the night of February 6, the algorithm mistakenly assessed the first quake of magnitude 7.8 as only 4.5–4.9. This triggered the less urgent alerts that many users failed to notice. Official data shows only 469 people received the “Take Action” signal, while about 500,000 got “Be Aware”. The rest received no warning at all.

Google initially stated that the system “performed within expectations”. However, after a BBC investigation, the company admitted a serious failure and apologized for underestimating the tremor’s strength. According to Google, if the updated algorithm had been in place, up to 10 million people would have received a warning.

The disaster claimed more than 55,000 lives and injured around 100,000 people. Experts emphasize that even 30 seconds can be critical—enough time to leave a building or take cover in a safe zone.

Following the tragedy, Google upgraded the AEA system. It now operates in nearly 100 countries and continues to receive improvements aimed at boosting accuracy and response speed.

The failure in Turkey has been the most significant challenge for the system since its launch, raising concerns about algorithm reliability during major natural disasters.