Google's Earthquake Alert System Failed In Turkey, Millions Left Unwarned: Here's What Tech Giant Said
Google is facing sharp criticism after admitting its Android Earthquake Alerts (AEA) system failed to send critical warnings to millions during the devastating 2023 Turkey earthquake. According to a BBC report, the system significantly underestimated the strength of the tremors and sent far fewer emergency alerts than expected.
Limited Warnings Amid Massive Destruction
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey on 6 February 2023 claimed over 55,000 lives and injured more than 100,000 people. Despite the AEA system being active and operational at the time, Google confirmed that only 469 "Take Action" alerts were sent for the first quake; the highest level of warning meant to indicate severe shaking.
In reality, the quake affected nearly 10 million people within a 98-mile radius of the epicentre, most of whom did not receive the urgent notification. Instead, around half a million people were issued a less serious "Be Aware" alert, which does not override Do Not Disturb settings or produce loud alarms.
Misjudged Magnitude and Delayed Recognition
The BBC investigation revealed that Google's system had significantly misjudged the scale of the quake, estimating its magnitude to be between 4.5 and 4.9 on the moment magnitude scale; a serious error, as the true magnitude was 7.8. A second major quake later that day was also underestimated, although it triggered 8,158 "Take Action" warnings and nearly four million "Be Aware" alerts.
The more urgent alert was especially crucial because the first quake struck at 04:17, a time when most people were asleep. The BBC attempted for months to find users who had received the top-tier alert before the shaking began, but found none. The findings were eventually published later in the year.
In a written explanation published in the journal Science, Google researchers attributed the failure to "limitations to the detection algorithms". Following the incident, the algorithm was updated and re-tested with simulated data. In the re-run, 10 million "Take Action" alerts and 67 million "Be Aware" notifications would have been generated; a stark contrast to the original output.
Experts Voice Concern Over Transparency
The response from experts has been critical, with some expressing frustration at how long it took for Google to disclose the system’s shortcomings. Elizabeth Reddy, an assistant professor at the Colorado School of Mines, remarked: “I'm really frustrated that it took so long. We're not talking about a little event, people died and we didn't see a performance of this warning in the way we would like.”
Although Google stresses that the AEA system is designed to supplement official national warning systems and not replace them, some experts are worried about over-reliance on unproven technology.
Harold Tobin, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, told the BBC: “I think being very transparent about how well it works is absolutely critical. Would some places make the calculation that Google's doing it, so we don't have to?”
Google Promises Improvements But Questions Remain
A Google spokesperson acknowledged the challenges in handling large-scale events, stating: “We continue to improve the system based on what we learn in each earthquake.” The company further added: “Every earthquake early warning system grapples with the same challenge; tuning algorithms for large magnitude events.”
Google also said that the AEA system has now delivered alerts in 98 countries. However, when the BBC asked how the system performed during the 2025 Myanmar earthquake, the tech giant did not provide a response.
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