Back in 2020, Google kicked off a project to crowdsource signals from Android phones that an earthquake might be imminent. The system leveraged the accelerometers inside these devices to gather seismic data, combine it to detect patterns consistent with an earthquake, and deliver timely alerts to people who might be affected.

If you're in an earthquake-prone area and own an Android phone, it could save your life. It may even have already done so. The Android Earthquake Alert (AEA) system, which began in the U.S. in 2020 and has since expanded globally,

Google's Android Earthquake Alerts system uses your phone's accelerometer to provide crucial seconds of warning before seismic activity.