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CMDR_Kai t1_itufwug wrote

Very useful. 10ish seconds doesn't seem like a lot, but it could be a literal lifesaver.

573

diacewrb t1_itup49g wrote

10 seconds is very good considering that dedicated equipment and warning systems can give people an alert from anywhere from a few seconds to up to a minute or two depending on circumstances.

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kreiger-69 t1_ityxdqy wrote

Yep, one example would be a steeplejack being able to hold onto something knowing the earth was about to boogie woogie below them

1

HiFiGuy197 t1_itvhtz4 wrote

Of course you don’t know an earthquake is going to happen until it does (duh!) and with wave propagation speeds of up 5 miles per second, the “best” you can hope for is 10 seconds warning at 50 miles.

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CosmicCreeperz t1_itycou2 wrote

Interestingly I can tell you almost exactly the propagation of this quake. I was on a zoom call with 2 others at the time, and we were about 10, 25, and 40 miles away from the epicenter.

It was confusing at first, but from when I noticed it to when the guy 15 miles (actually more like 13) away noticed it was about 4-5 seconds. So maybe 3-ish miles per second? Was pretty cool to experience that in real time :)

Also, “paid off yesterday” may be a bit of a misnomer. It certainly was a great test, but the quake itself was really mild, if longer than normal for a 5.1. I can’t imagine there were any injuries. Probably a lot of people diving under desks and then sheepishly saying… “was that it?” (But hey, you won’t know how big it is until it hits, so dive away!)

9

BabyGotTrack t1_ityg7es wrote

Similar experience. I’m closer to San Jose and was on a video call with someone in Oakland. My husband got the notice on his android and crossed our yard tell me about it around the time I started feeling the shaking. My colleague in Oakland didn’t feel anything for what felt like several seconds.

3

Financial_Nebula t1_itvu26v wrote

Not true. Large earthquakes are often preceded by smaller ones and geologists can use this information to anticipate an impending earthquake.

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Raging-Fuhry t1_itvw2ij wrote

>often preceded

There are no guarantees in seismology, what may be "often" true is very different from "always" true. Large Earthquakes also often come without warning, and small earthquakes often don't precede anything. It's not reliable enough data for prediction and geologists (at least in Canada/States) aren't able to do much with it.

A technique seismologists do use is to examine the historical record and try to make empirical predictions from the frequency of large Earthquakes, but again this is an entirely empirical method and has very large error.

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Dragonfruit-Still t1_itwynlg wrote

More sensors, more data, and An AI to learn it all would be an interesting possible predictor.

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Moonkai2k t1_itw5f63 wrote

First off, "often" is not always. Usually it means about half the time.

Second, common sense says if I feel a small one, a bigger one may be coming. That isn't exactly stellar praise for the existing detection network.

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other_usernames_gone t1_itvtojl wrote

That's not necessarily true.

If we understood the mechanics behind earthquakes well enough and had the technology to properly scan tectonic plates we might be able to predict them days, months or years ahead of time.

We might be able to notice "rough patches" in the tectonic plates, predict if and when those "rough patches" will get caught and use that to predict when earthquakes will happen.

Idk though, I'm not a seismologist.

−13

Bay_sic t1_itw15v5 wrote

The other option is that the problem is irreducible. Like when economist warn about an impending event. The system may be too complex and therefore we will only get a probabilistic understanding of what may be. It can also be that the system is extremely sensitive to initial conditions and therefore any models we try to create will never have sufficient data to predict the quakes well enough. It may be that the time scale that earthquakes are predictable is too large to be useful for us as a "brace for impact" type of warning system.

If you are interested in this type of stuff you should look up complex systems. The Santa Fe Institute youtube channel has a lot of interesting stuff, but its a bunch of dry presentations.

6

Sparky323 t1_itw11sk wrote

It's not that we don't understand the mechanics, it's that we don't have the technology available to sense miles deep into the earth's crust, much less accurately. We would need to do something on the level of an MRI scan on a massively large scale.

2

saulblarf t1_itwg2jd wrote

>if we understood and had the technology >we might be able to

Sounds like the comment you replied to is exactly correct.

We don’t have the tech or knowledge to meaningfully predict earthquakes and we won’t for a while.

2

other_usernames_gone t1_itwhl8s wrote

Not really, the comment I replied to seemed to treat it as a given.

But like how we don't need to wait for it to rain to predict it might rain we might not need to wait for an earthquake to start to predict it's likely to happen.

1

saulblarf t1_itwi74i wrote

We “might not” one day, but currently we cannot, so the 10 second warning is the best we have.

3

HiFiGuy197 t1_itwu16k wrote

Although that may be kinda true, having an earthquake warning for “three days from now, plus or minus a day,” won’t actually help random people.

Or even sounding off from tiny earthquakes…

If you’re wrong, people will stop heeding your forecasts completely.

1

other_usernames_gone t1_itx18up wrote

It would though.

You could evacuate areas ahead of time if a large enough earthquake is predicted, or get humanitarian aid set up ahead of time. Imagine if food or water was already there in the moments after an earthquake instead of a day or two later. We could pre-set up halls and other places as emergency accommodation before the earthquake even hit, and tell people where they are ahead of time before communications could be damaged.

People would know it's a bad idea to go swimming or climbing during those days. It would also be a great opportunity for people to get their earthquake plans sorted, pack things they want to bring with them if they get evacuated.

It's easy to put off planning for an emergency when it's a hypothetical but if you know there's a 90% chance it'll happen in the next few days it's a lot easier to get motivated. Obviously people will still procrastinate but it would help.

Of course inaccuracy could be a huge issue, especially with people not trusting it. But it would be a great boon if it worked well.

1

HiFiGuy197 t1_itym876 wrote

I feel like we have an “equivalent” level of prediction now for hurricanes, and yet…

1

other_usernames_gone t1_ityqo34 wrote

I'm not saying it wouldn't still be bad.

But we can and do evacuate areas hurricanes are meant to hit ahead of time. It would be a lot better.

1

Mental_Medium3988 t1_itxg22l wrote

ten seconds can be "dont take this bridge" or "punch it chewie" time and that could be life or death.

8

BalloonShip t1_itvfq7j wrote

Which means google will be killing people by not sharing this info across platforms.

−32

OCE_Mythical t1_itvgf1f wrote

You act like this doesn't happen. Pharmaceutical companies just do this but worse daily.

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N3rdProbl3ms t1_itviuif wrote

I heard the Apple Watch has this great tech that can detect issues going on in your body. Are they up for sharing?

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SUPRVLLAN t1_itvjawc wrote

With relevant parties, like your doctor, yes.

The tech itself isn’t anything Apple developed themselves, it’s all based on other available components.

−22

Coomb t1_itvmez4 wrote

The same is true of this earthquake warning system. In fact the article specifically mentions the Apple version.

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starwars101 t1_itulrsp wrote

I got the alert with enough time to get under my desk at work. The epicenter was somewhere near San Jose, and I was in SF. So YMMV, but for me, given the height and location of my building, it really did feel a lot better to he under something for the quake. Idk if it was a full ten second warning, but it was enough.

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wilhelmstarscream t1_itwr6ym wrote

I was just wondering, with a ten second warning what the hell do you do? I guess hide under something is the best option.

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starwars101 t1_itwz6q9 wrote

It felt like a lot longer than you might think to process. I did not have to dive or panic- just got underneath, grabbed a desk leg, and then the rocking started. It went on for maybe 13 seconds, and when it stopped I stood back up and went back to work.

A solid 5/7.

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Tommyblockhead20 t1_itx61oc wrote

The more important thing is not what you start doing, but what you stop doing. You don’t want to be going down stairs, eating, woodworking, operating on a patient, etc for obvious reasons. 10 seconds gives you enough time to stop doing anything that could be dangerous during an earthquake and brace yourself.

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techieman33 t1_ity5lki wrote

If your using power tools your not going to notice an alert on your phone and even if you do your going to finish what your doing because that is the safest thing to do in almost all scenarios. The only way you might be able to do something is if you had headphones in and the alert came in over them.

0

Tommyblockhead20 t1_ity5uom wrote

I’d imagine it wouldn’t just be a normal notification. It would probably be like AMBER alerts if you’re in North America. A max volume alarm, even if the volume is turned down. Maybe some extreme scenario it wouldn’t be noticed, but what’s important is that most of the time, it will be.

4

SirHerald t1_ity7dlj wrote

I don't respond to those immediately all the time. It's usually someone missing hundreds of miles away

1

windowtosh t1_ityjm8j wrote

Earthquake warnings have a specific sound so you wouldn’t need to look at the alert to take action.

1

DeTrotseTuinkabouter t1_ityagyi wrote

Someone near you could warn you.

And finish what you're doing? Why? For tons of power tool uses you can simply stop. It might take a second to stop but that might take a ton shorter than finish what you're doing. E.g. if I'm drilling a hole in a brick wall then I can stop just fine.

1

techieman33 t1_itycxn7 wrote

No problem if your drilling a hole. But if your using a table saw or circular saw it’s generally safer to finish your cut before you start worrying about why your phone is blowing up. If you even hear it of course.

1

windowtosh t1_ityjo31 wrote

The earthquake warning has a specific sound, so you would know why your phone is blowing up even if you aren’t looking at it

1

skullmatoris t1_itx9pke wrote

I’ve heard hiding under things is not a good idea. Better to shelter in the corner of a wall or next to something large in the room, that way if rubble falls you’ll have an air pocket

−5

Human-Man t1_itxbu2v wrote

Nope—Not the right thing to do. As anyone living in earthquake country is taught:

DROP. COVER. HOLD.

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skullmatoris t1_itxcds8 wrote

An interior wall with no windows is also fine under that method. A sturdy table or desk would be good, but a cheap coffee table won’t offer much protection

−4

Doomgloomya t1_itvcdcg wrote

Anybody that works in Emergency Services will tell you 10 sec is a hella long time to prep for something.

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inferno006 t1_itw3zvc wrote

I work in emergency services. Any advanced warning is better than none or little advanced warning.

But my first thought upon reading this headline with my years of emergency services is: I wonder how this is being used to investigate bombings and pinpointing epicenters of incidents like that?

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Doomgloomya t1_itw7b33 wrote

What i'm assuming is that each device is already a min computer in of itself and how we build supercomputers is linking a bunch of computers together in a network to increase computing power. Now each smartwatch is constantly keeping track of everything we do from elevation we walk, steps, and heart rate. This means these are very sensitive devices able to differentiate different movements.

This is just a wild assumption based off what we know smart watches can do but because they are casting such a wide net the watches are able to sense differences in the environment and if several are sensing the same movement then it'll set off the alert system.

The simplest answer would just be google just has its own private seismometer thats is just better lmao.

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kreiger-69 t1_ityx7n6 wrote

>being used to investigate bombings and pinpointing epicenters of incidents like that?

Don't they have microphones in the USA at traffic lights or something where they can poinpoint where a gunshot came from so they can send police there?

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inferno006 t1_itz35gx wrote

The technology exists, but it is not widespread. Some places have it.

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xXSpaceturdXx t1_ityz4oy wrote

Last I heard in my city they were only using them in certain areas. But yes they do have that tech. They may have expanded it here because they really cracked down on people shooting straight up into the sky. They made a new law for it and everything. It doesn’t stop it though. Guy at my work had a 40 Cal round come through the roof onto the floor in front of his desk. He didn’t want to sit in there for a week. Another friend of mine had one go through his roof and out the window on his truck. But that was in a different city.

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nuclear_splines t1_iu148zu wrote

SpotShotter? Technically yes, but it works terribly. Even the Wikipedia articles second sentence reads “researchers have noted concerns about effectiveness, reliability, privacy, and equity [of ShotSpotter]”

2

DeepSpaceQueef t1_itzscwe wrote

Something I’ve wanted to see added to phones for a while now is shooting detection. It’s a bit of a tricky sell, because even if sound data is analyzed locally on a device, people would probably be sussed on their microphones being active while their phones are in their pockets, but it could provide early warning and shooter location data for nearby users and law enforcement. Combined with the fall sensors and heart rate monitors in a lot of smart watches, this could also provide casualty data like location and triage priority to first responders.

I was actually exploring making this into an app a year or two ago, but that requires users to install it and trust an app developer not to collect microphone data. It would only be as effective as adoption. Having the feature offered natively in the device ui like the earthquake and fall detection systems would be ideal.

We’ve come a long way with phone policies since I was in school, most students have their phones powered on through the entire school day and most schools have their students phone numbers on file. To make the data available to the school would only require students add the school ID to their device. Another option, which could work for schools and venues, is to allow the venue or school to add devices by number; the data would only be available when devices ping a possible gunshot and are in the boundaries of the venue or school location. It would also not be nearly as invasive as other features people used for contact tracing during the pandemic, as it would not allow the school or venue or authorities access to meta data upon request, it would require the device to either ping the data when it thinks it hears a gunshot or when an active shooter has been identified at the location.

1

HaikuBotStalksMe t1_itvica0 wrote

So why do you people tell us to evacuate for a hurricane/flood days ahead of time? Just tell us like 5 minutes before.

−29

Doomgloomya t1_itvm3pv wrote

I don't think the example you are using is correct. What I am referencing is something you had no length of time to prepare for.

Example being 10 sec forewarning notification of an active shooter in your area is better than no alert right?

To me people complaining about getting such a short time span of a warning confuses since the only other option would have been no warning at all.

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iPon3 t1_ityazpc wrote

10 seconds warning for a grenade is WAY better than none

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mazu74 t1_itx6882 wrote

Believe me, I’m sure if they could warn people days ahead of time for other kinds of emergencies, they absolutely would without a second thought. Sadly hurricanes are one of the very few that are detectable that far in advance.

3

DarthArtero t1_ituj1xp wrote

10 seconds doesn’t sound like a long time, but you’d be surprised at what you can do in 10 seconds.

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pak9rabid t1_itunytu wrote

I know what most of Reddit can do in 10 seconds…

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AutoSlashS t1_ituwoim wrote

10? Do you have trouble getting an erection or what?

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IamRasters t1_itw4yrt wrote

Start an Apple vs Android battle? Like why is Apple listed in the headline?! (going to read the article now) hehehe.

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JohnJD1302 t1_itw5ueu wrote

I read that supposedly the USGS had discussed with Apple about integrating ShakeAlert into iOS as well, but it seems like it didn't went through...

Apple HQ at Cupertino must've felt it and even got warnings, so I hope they could consider it this time... but I doubt it.

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absenceofheat t1_itwuksb wrote

Maybe they sent a video to Apple and it was grainy? Should've dropboxed it.

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yelahneb t1_itxfvwh wrote

Introducing iQuake. Starting at only $19.99

3

MyVoiceIsElevating t1_itwxwlr wrote

That’s pretty cool for Android users. Too bad their phones can’t alert emergency response when they ride a roller coaster like my iPhone can.

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Ambitious5uppository t1_itxebgw wrote

Android phones (not all of course) do already have this feature (since 2019), and they also have the roller-coaster issue.

Since every new car will be required to have this feature as standard, and it's been an option for over 20 years. It's of somewhat limited use in the future, but could help someone someday.

4

more_beans_mrtaggart t1_itwzj7o wrote

I was thinking the opposite. Normally an android feature is something they threw at a wall and went with that, leaving it to Apple to show how it’s supposed to be designed.

0

MyVoiceIsElevating t1_itwzxzm wrote

I am an Apple user that appreciates their attention to UX and detail, but they’re also guilty of a lot of crap.

Just glad Google pulled off a more effective warning system, which will no doubt cause Apple to improve theirs. Competition means we all win.

14

beiberdad69 t1_iu22z4t wrote

I got one of these a month ago for a smaller quake a little north of this one. Happened right as the quake happened but my brain was still thinking "wtf was that" when my phone told me "EARTHQUAKE DUMMY"

Not a forewarning but still useful in a way

1

Fred2p1u t1_itu9wtp wrote

5-10 seconds before it hits… just enough time to worry

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NoConversation9358 t1_ituamz4 wrote

Just enough time to get somewhere slightly more safe. A 10 second warning is a goddamn miracle if you don't have one.

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r0ndy t1_ituavha wrote

It sounds dramatic, but you're right. That time is the difference between standing under a chandelier and moving to a doorway.

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RoastedRhino t1_itv5mld wrote

Also for a surgeon to lift the scalpel.

Or for a LASIK machine to turn off the laser in your eye.

Edit: adding because these examples came from a paper I read some time ago.

Stop high speed trains.

Lower crane loads.

Shut down natural gas pipes.

Turn off high speed machines like metal extrusion mills (don’t google accident videos)

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graflig t1_itv7u0h wrote

Damn I’m getting LASIK next week and I didn’t need this additional worry

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r0ndy t1_itvfhrl wrote

I'd assume the laser has safety stuff, but being a surgeon, that's a unique concern and issue!

1

AskingForAFriendRly t1_itukko6 wrote

Middle of a building to a stairwell.

13

NewDad907 t1_ituui5p wrote

Stairwells are not good during an earthquake.

−3

AskingForAFriendRly t1_itv54c3 wrote

Best you can do in 10 sec. Structurally sound in comparison to the interior with no/few windows.

11

NewDad907 t1_itxzbxn wrote

I’ve had firefighters literally come to our building and describe how the stairs collapse inside the stairwell shafts, crushing and killing people.

I live in Alaska where earthquakes are a part of life.

Find an interior door and stand in the door frame.

2

Berdydk t1_ituaxyk wrote

you probably never suffered a big quake.. 10 seconds is enough time to take cover, get out etc..

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spacedad t1_itufu5h wrote

Not only that- these could be people’s lives we’re talking about. Even a tiny difference in outcomes is important and notable. Incremental progress is important.

23

GrymanOne t1_itvtqpe wrote

My children have hardly experienced any earthquakes and we live in Southern California. A far cry from me experiencing some of the larger quakes to hit our area, one of which threw me out of bed pre-dawn and had our power out for some time. My parents experienced some large quakes as well, and some of the family of a previous generation experienced the large Alaska quake that lasted several minutes.

10 seconds is huge, but I'm afraid for a generation that has no concept of what a quake even is at this point. They haven't seen the ground shake or roll, literally looking like it's breathing.

2

Herman_-_Mcpootis t1_itubu7s wrote

10 seconds is still enough time to hide under the bed or the table before things start crashing down on you, better than being completely exposed.

10

Gromit801 t1_itvxw6f wrote

Everyone’s assuming that when the alarm goes off, people will react as if they’ve been training for this moment most of their lives. In those 10 seconds, you have to disengage your thoughts from what you’re doing, refocus, recognize, and act. And if you have kids or elderly in the house, fagedaboutit.

2

jjj49er t1_itw7j75 wrote

It could take longer than 10 seconds for me to get to my phone to figure out what's going on.

2

DeTrotseTuinkabouter t1_ityamcw wrote

It might take a second to grab your phone and a few seconds to process. But in five seconds you can still slip under your desk.

1

excts t1_itubtva wrote

Found the apple fan

−13

CanucksKickAzz t1_itv01c7 wrote

5-10 seconds doesn't seem like a long time? I bet if your hand was on a hot stove it'd feel like an eternity.

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Potoodles t1_itxzj4z wrote

Every comment in here is saying “5-10 seconds is not a long time?” And not a single comment saying that it isn’t a long time

1

arrocknroll t1_itvz25h wrote

Accidentally did a side by side test of this yesterday. My personal phone is an iPhone SE and my work phone is a Pixel 6. I work about 20 minutes outside of San Jose and got the alert that it was about to happen and then a follow up alert that it was actually happening and to duck and cover. Even gave the estimated severity on the Richter scale in the early warning so I knew what to expect.

Didn’t get shit on my iPhone.

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Human-Man t1_itxc1v3 wrote

Weird I got one on my I-phone through shakealert right on time (beforehand).

3

elsif1 t1_itynw9z wrote

Opposite for me (S22 Ultra and iPhone 13). Seems like they might both need some work

3

CptGooglyEyes t1_itvcsex wrote

Yesterday in San Jose, my customers dog warned us before it hit it.

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ducklingkwak t1_itw3hjc wrote

Most dogs just hit it without warning.

17

DaoFerret t1_itwhoij wrote

One and only earthquake I experienced was the 2011 quake that originated in DC and was felt as far as NYC.

I was working at home in my apartment and on a conference call.

Suddenly the TV in the living room was rocking side to side. Took me a few seconds to realize it was an earthquake.

Looked over at the dog on the couch. She looked back at me, put her head down and went back to sleep.

I decided, if the dog thinks we’re fine, that’s good enough for me and I’m not going to worry about it.

Still weird to remember the building literally swaying back and forth.

19

ispeakdatruf t1_itvxtde wrote

I got the warning. The first time I got one. So I looked at it, and was like "huh, what is this?". And then the building started shaking. So I had about 5 seconds of warning (I was near San Mateo). But now that I know how it works, I'll be paying more attention to these. I can see it being really helpful.

29

Metaloneus t1_ituuab0 wrote

I'm not going to lie, I feel like there's probably some money involved in the constant pushing of "X person used Y phone brand to discover Z important thing" news stories.

22

The_Expidition t1_itva8al wrote

Oh come on cant you see how many consumers I mean fine clients and users they saved and the clout received from the great optics oh what wonders

8

mamimapr t1_itxhxqb wrote

I’m mostly certain Apple introduced the satellite sos on their new phones exactly for the news stories. I don’t think it has any practicality use for 99.999% of users. For the remaining 0.001% users who are lost in the wilderness with no network, there will be 5% of users who will have battery available on their phone. Apple is banking on probably the one or two news stories for marketing purposes.

2

DeTrotseTuinkabouter t1_ityao3l wrote

Why would you want to lie about that?

1

Metaloneus t1_itz80yp wrote

I don't think it's necessarily lying. The news outlets are highlighting mostly truthful information about Apple/Android phones and devices. However, it's a clear bickering match between the two, hosted in proxy by outlets who ought to not have a stake in the fight. The sensationalism nature of it leads me to think that there's some money in it for them.

1

mtcwby t1_itui1kn wrote

I felt the quake and thought it was interesting but my phone told me after the fact by a couple of minutes. Other than a Tsunami it's hard to see how it makes that much difference when it's after the fact.

19

lemlurker t1_itur0ok wrote

depends where you are. if youre close the time difference between quake and detection is low, further away the more time between it happening and the shockwaves arriving

18

naura_ t1_itv8re8 wrote

It depending on how deep the earthquake is, it could give you time to get cover.

The 5.1 in san jose was just 8km below the surface. Some quakes have to travel 30-50km before reaching the surface.

9

BellerophonM t1_itw28iv wrote

As well as range, it also depends on if your phone is set up to receive alerts from Google's newer Android Earthquake Alerts System. Not all manufacturers will have set up for that out of the box, some may only be hooked into the government alert system, which was apparently slower in this case.

2

mtcwby t1_itwjmix wrote

I've got a Pixel 5a and it appeared to be Google's service that came rather than a USGS one. I was about 25 miles away and the jolt was very short So short that I wondered if we had just had a quake and looked at some hanging blind cords to see if they were swinging. They weren't but the confirmation of a quake came a couple of minutes later.

2

JPhando t1_itvldqi wrote

It usually takes me 5-10 seconds to decide if the quake is big enough to warrant action. This seems like a great feature.

18

wicktus t1_itv4zv7 wrote

Cool reading the comments here I can clearly see it was useful !

And yes 10 sec, it's enough to stop doing that potentially dangerous thing you were doing (for an earthquake) and anticipate life-saving actions.

13

Longpork-afficianado t1_itwse9u wrote

Even if you can't find cover in ten seconds, it's enough alert to switch off the buzz saw or take your scalpel out of a patient, which will definitely save a few lives on the scale of a large earthquake.

6

YawaruSan t1_itux89z wrote

It’s interesting to see the reactions, a few seconds isn’t a lot of time but unless they can predict an Earthquake before it happens there’s no way to give people more time. Better to get a heads up than nothing, yay technology!

9

JohannesOliver t1_itv1e2c wrote

The underlying government system, ShakeAlert, needs to be more publicized. There have been apps for these alerts for years now, even on iPhone. It is nice that Android has the option built in though.

10

YawaruSan t1_itv49sy wrote

Yeah, nowadays it’s a lot easier to make useful technology than it is to get widespread adoption of said technology. Unfortunately being profitable is more attention-grabbing than being useful.

5

BellerophonM t1_itw753a wrote

Participating Android phones are hooked into two different alert systems. One is ShakeAlert, but that wasn't the one that offered advance warning here. The other is that phones that have opted into the Android Earthquake Alerts System use mass collective data from their accelerometers to form a rudimentary real-time seismology dataset. The scale of the network is used to filter the seismology readings from the everyday movement noise. It's the data from that which was able to trigger the alert so rapidly and beat the shockwave, which is why this is discussing Android phones in particular.

5

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1

pink_life69 t1_itum6v2 wrote

Not that I’ll ever need it where I live, but this is a great thing

5

TopHatProductions115 t1_itv7wsz wrote

10 seconds is the difference between life and death in some scenarios. Better than nothing.

4

Spiritual_Ant119 t1_itwntlb wrote

iPhone user here; NGL, pretty damn cool stuff here that we’ll be sold in 4 years as a completely new thing. Can’t wait!

4

thetwelveofsix t1_itwsnyj wrote

For anyone on iPhones feeling like they missed out, you can install the myquake app from UC Berkeley researchers. I got an alert about 10 seconds before any shaking.

Edit: it’s MyShake.

4

MisterCatLady t1_ituuvcb wrote

See this is when mass scale data harvesting could advance our species. That’s a cool thing. Somebody has to decide when it’s acceptable to do so though. If the data harvesting objective is to sell me a bag of Cheetos, I want a law saying that’s not a good enough reason.

3

Craptcha t1_itv22ui wrote

“Its either a 10 on the richter scale or they just released a celebrity sex tape sir … we’re not sure”

2

Tribalbob t1_itwg6wj wrote

IPhone only warns you about proprietary Apple brand earthquakes.

2

churrmander t1_itwq15c wrote

I got alerted about two seconds BEFORE I even felt the shaking.

I was really impressed.

2

Juice805 t1_itwzzs7 wrote

It’s great and this should be on every device by default. For those worried from the title on iOS the same feature has been available for some time with at least one app:

MyShake

2

Dogzilla66 t1_itx8dlf wrote

If you’re comparing yourself to someone else, you’ve already lost

2

bossy909 t1_itxzwxo wrote

If the else quietly adds your shit after the fact or announces it proudly, else lost

It's a brand image, and you're on the hook

1

xy007 t1_ityi28v wrote

What about your past self

1

Bloorajah t1_ituwidy wrote

Coming soon: 5.99$a month subscription to earthquake early warnings

1

iwoketoanightmare t1_ituykiu wrote

10 seconds is usually enough time to get your ass to a doorway or away from windows.

1

Random_182f2565 t1_itv78xd wrote

I hope this get implement in Chile, taking in consideration that anything less that 6.5 is worthless.

1

-YaQ- t1_itvo51x wrote

Nice to have but yeah

1

CaptainRagdoll t1_itvyn1f wrote

Insane how technology evolves, a breakthrough feature rather than small camera quality increasements or faster chips. On annual releases, minor things. This feature is quite big. I thought Crash Detection was pretty nifty, Google took it further, nice!

1

heybart t1_itwfzcp wrote

I'm in SoCal. I usually have location turned off to save battery. Only turn on when an app needs it. I wonder if it'd warn me based on last known location or IP

1

Human-Man t1_itxc7sf wrote

Just download MyShake and set your location. if you are at a home location OR anywhere near one with location enabled you'll get a warning.

3

andrs901 t1_itwldx7 wrote

Why not just a quake siren system, like the one in Mexico City?

1

Solmors t1_itwxf09 wrote

I live ~9 miles from yesterdays epicenter. I got the warning on the phone about the same time as my dogs came running into my office. Then a few seconds later felt the ground bounce up and down and the house creaked a bit for a couple seconds. Even as close as I was it was still pretty minor, but I can imagine it would be helpful if it was a larger earthquake.

1

epicepic123 t1_itx5ecp wrote

So are there any good iPhone apps for this or has anyone heard of any plans to build something similar into iOS?

1

abadnit t1_itx6dkh wrote

Android fap detection anomaly.

1

jhystad t1_itxbedm wrote

Can someone post a link for this app, please?

1

elsif1 t1_itynlpq wrote

I have both an iPhone 13 and an S22 Ultra (which is my primary phone)

For what it's worth, I didn't get anything on the S22, even though earthquake notifications were turned on (checked after). I did get a USGS notification on the iPhone, though.

I didn't have the iPhone on me though, so feeling the earthquake itself was how I actually found out.

1

arbitrageME t1_itytocu wrote

We had a 5.1 earthquake and my pixel 7 didn't tell me shit

1

KoalaKommander t1_iu0n18m wrote

I was ~12 miles from the epicenter. I saw my phone (pixel 7) buzz and had probably 2-5 seconds of my brain going "uhhh what?" Before I felt shaking. Many iPhone users at work said it came after or not at all.

1

gdub4 t1_ituiala wrote

Mexico City says hello from 1995. SkyAlert says hi from 2011.

0

Blackluster182 t1_itujs52 wrote

By all means let's use the 1995 version everywhere forever.

19

gdub4 t1_iu1p8du wrote

Lol. Sorry if the government of Mexico has actually built out the infrastructure to warn its citizens and residents in advance and not waited almost 30 years for Google to do so. Or that a Mexican startup has been doing this for just over 11 years. But sure, props to Google

1

jimboni t1_ituyxr5 wrote

I don’t doubt that. The thing here is the massively distributed sensor network. This is one area where Apple and google should cooperate.

3

Spyder2020 t1_itw9ua4 wrote

So that's why I keep getting earthquake alerts when my girlfriend spends the night

0

father2shanes t1_itwv1xe wrote

Most people didnt get 10 seconds lol. Go look at the bayarea subreddit. Most people got the notification while the earthquake was going on or right after it happened.

0

joelex8472 t1_itwvgeo wrote

Really looking forward to this in the UK. Can’t wait!

0

Gromit801 t1_itvx35p wrote

Well, this is wrong. I’ve had an iPhone quake app for years.

−1

redEPICSTAXISdit t1_itwk42l wrote

IPhones have literally beat nothing to the punch.

−1

LobstaFarian2 t1_itwy5mq wrote

Hmm yet another reason androids are better

−1

iVeryAm t1_itwzwl9 wrote

Was there a race between "Android phones and iPhones" to offer early US quake warning?

−1

banjo_assassin t1_itvbn25 wrote

Nice headline! Emphasize market competition over general public safety! Whatever r/gadgets

−2

samwe5t t1_itwn4sn wrote

Great now every android user is never gonna let iPhone users forget this

−3

Metahec t1_itwv40t wrote

Android phones aren't calling up geologists to have them rush to amusement parks.

1

weedpal t1_itv0044 wrote

Apple - We think your gonna love this. The iQuak. A Earthquake warning system 0.5 second faster than the competition.

−5

nuvo_reddit t1_itv2ue5 wrote

I guess it would be more like iPhone 15 offers 30% faster alert than iPhone 14.

−2

Personal_Recipe_2725 t1_itv9r3r wrote

Can’t wait for the San Andreas fault to go KABLAM and break California off from the US.

−7

BalloonShip t1_itvfgwm wrote

Disgusting. This is a story about how google has earthquake predicting data and doesn’t share it with people who aren’t its customers. I can’t believe how proud this article is of them for not caring about people.

−8

FriendlyCrafter t1_itwz6ro wrote

But that doesn't make any sense. Google tried telling Apple to implement rcs so that Apple and Android users could have safer, more convenient messaging but Apple declined. Which is what I feel could be the case here

1

chad59N t1_itw9j8l wrote

iPhone are toys really, I switched back to Android for compatibility with PC so much easier and so much less Donglma!! (Drama). They do Everything better except the app store kills play 100%

−8

digggggggggg t1_itvjgi5 wrote

That’s cool and all but have they figured out why their phones send green messages? I have to use iPhone because blue messages.

−11

squidking78 t1_itvqwov wrote

I still chuckle when I get an archaic non-iMessage text. I like texting across continents, so blue all the way.

−2

[deleted] t1_ituh0w4 wrote

[deleted]

−28

EVEngineer t1_itujepk wrote

Dystopian or utopian?

Here is anonymous data collection done for a beneficial social purpose without any cash transaction on the back end. Of all the issues google has with privacy, I don't see this as a worrying one.

20

Kaidyn04 t1_itukg8t wrote

phones have been listening to you and tailoring ads for like 20 years so if saving people from earthquakes is the first time you've noticed a "dystopian slope" you might not be paying attention

13

tim36272 t1_itukuxo wrote

Yes: when users consent to use Google Location Services, specifically the "Google Location Accuracy" service, they consent to their data being used for purposes such as this. Consent is normally received during phone setup with a brief description of how the data is used and a link to Google's privacy policy.

More information and a link to their privacy policy at: https://support.google.com/android/answer/9319337?visit_id=638023852344601336-1711332009&p=android_earthquakealerts&rd=1#Get_earthquake_alerts_Android

9

JohannesOliver t1_itv01cn wrote

What extremely useful features do you lose if you do not consent?

I don’t mind this usage, but I hate that “granular privacy controls” really mean “Let maps actually find me. Also pump out my live location to ad networks.”

−3

tim36272 t1_itvdgn2 wrote

>What extremely useful features do you lose if you do not consent?

The enhanced accuracy service which uses things like nearby WiFi networks to pinpoint your location faster and more accurately. You can still use all your device's hardware, you just don't get the benefit of using Google's servers and wifi database.

1

Hairy-Tailor-4157 t1_ituc9qe wrote

Why is this being reported now when this feature was out like 2 years ago?

−41

BenBishopsButt t1_itud4jy wrote

Because there was an earthquake in San Jose yesterday, and it worked well. Why would you comment on an article when you don’t even bother to read it?

36

Hairy-Tailor-4157 t1_itugqk8 wrote

Everyone knows it works well, has been so for the past 2 years for us.

−26

BenBishopsButt t1_ituh4df wrote

Ok? You’re in a thread for an article about how it worked yesterday. So I have no idea why you’re wondering why people are talking about it… this is literally the place to talk about it.

13