Google said on October 15 that its Android Earthquake Alerts System is expanding from 98 countries and regions to more than 200, adding Panama and Guatemala among many others. The more detailed upgrade to its “Be Ready” alert, however, will not arrive for months.
According to Google’s announcement, the alerts begin rolling out to users in newly supported regions starting October 15 and are expected to be fully available over the next week. The post names Panama and Guatemala but does not list the other newly supported regions, pointing readers instead to a separate page showing where alerts are active.
The expansion arrives as Panama recovers from what UNICEF calls the country’s most significant earthquake of the century so far. Eastern Herald reported on October 14 that agencies disagree on its magnitude, with the University of Panama’s Institute of Geosciences measuring 7.5 and the U.S. Geological Survey estimating 7.7. Google’s announcement does not mention that quake, and the sources reviewed for this story do not link it to the timing of the expansion.
In supported regions, Android users see one of three alerts. “Be Aware” covers estimated light shaking, “Be Ready” warns of stronger shaking, and “Take Action” is a full-screen alert for moderate to heavy shaking with immediate safety advice. In the coming months, Google says the Be Ready alert will add a map showing the radius where shaking has been detected, the estimated magnitude, suggested actions and a button for more information as it comes in.
The system works by turning phones into small seismometers. Digital Trends explained that if enough phones in the same area detect earthquake-like movement, the data goes to Google’s servers, which estimate where the quake is and how strong it may be. Google says it has sent more than one billion alerts since the system launched in 2021.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a post on X, as quoted by the Times of India, that when the earthquakes hit Venezuela this year, millions of people outside the epicenter got alerts and could take cover before the shaking began. That is the company’s own account, and the sources reviewed contain no independent measurement of how many people were warned.
Eastern Herald reported the Venezuela earthquake’s toll at 4,930 by July 17. Major quakes have recurred this year, including the Flores Island earthquake in Indonesia, which Eastern Herald reported had killed at least 53 people by August 17.
For people in newly covered regions, the practical change is limited for now. Alerts should begin reaching phones within the week, while the map and magnitude details that make the Be Ready alert more useful are months away.
