Could we use global smartphone networks to predict earthquakes?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-07-18 04:00

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The world's love of smartphones has spread the handheld data collectors all over the world, and now Google researchers say they could be key to improving our ability to predict earthquakes. The researchers spent three years trialling a system where accelerometer data was collected from the Android smartphone network, and filtered to look for patterns consistent with an earthquake. The researchers say the system detected an average of just over 300 earthquakes a month, and 85% of people who received an alert felt the earthquake they were alerted to. 36, 28, and 23% of smartphone users received the alert before, during, and after the shaking, respectively.