Why phones woke up thousands before the 5.9 Taumarunui earthquake

For some North Islanders, the first sign of this morning’s earthquake wasn’t shaking, but rather a loud alarm from their Android phones.

A shallow 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck about 5km south of Taumarunui at 4.51am on Saturday.

The quake was widely felt across the North Island and caused several aftershocks, but there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or major damage.

On social media, many people said the warning was issued before they felt the quake, while others said it arrived as the tremors started or shortly after.

Some Aucklanders described receiving the notification seconds before the ground moved, with one describing the technology as “extremely accurate.”

But how does it work?

How Android phones detect earthquakes

Android Earthquake Alerts uses accelerometers built into millions of smartphones to detect the first seismic waves generated by an earthquake.

These waves, known as primary or P waves, travel faster than the stronger secondary (S) waves that usually cause noticeable vibration and damage.

This data is automatically anonymized and reported in the background to Google, and once there are enough matching reports, an alert is sent to all Android users who may be affected.

Depending on the estimated strength of the earthquake, users receive one of two alerts. A “Be Aware” notification is sent for earthquakes below magnitude 4.5, while larger events trigger a louder “Take Action” alert designed to get people’s attention, even if their phones are on silent.

The system is not an earthquake forecaster, but it detects an earthquake quickly after it starts and uses the difference in speed between the initial P waves and the slower, more destructive shaking to provide advance warning to people far from the epicenter.

This technology is now available in more than 90 countries, although its effectiveness depends on the number of Android devices nearby.

People closest to the earthquake may receive little or no warning, because the shaking reaches them almost immediately, while people farther away can receive notice within several seconds.

It can also be less accurate in sparsely populated areas or in the case of earthquakes occurring abroad, where fewer phones are available to detect the initial shaking.

Manawatu Wanganui Civil Defense said while it was a useful system, it still had its drawbacks.

“It doesn’t have the accuracy of the equipment that GeoNet uses. That means it can get things wrong.”

The agency also explained why New Zealand’s mobile emergency alert system is not generally used in the event of earthquakes.

“By the time we had logged into the system, written a message and decided where to send the alert, the earthquake had occurred and was over.”

Instead, emergency mobile alerts are primarily used for risks that develop over a longer period, such as tsunamis, severe weather and floods, where there is enough time to warn people before the danger arrives.

Officials continue to remind people that regardless of whether they receive an alert or not, the safest course of action during an earthquake is to land, cover and wait.

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