False Alarm Shakes Brazil: Google Temporarily Disables Earthquake Alerts System

On February 14, 2025, Google's 'Earthquake Alerts System' for Android sent out a false earthquake alert across Brazil, causing widespread confusion. The system uses smartphone sensors to detect and warn of earthquakes, providing early warnings before the more destructive waves hit. Despite previous successes, such as accurately detecting an earthquake in the Philippines in 2021, there have been failures, including not sending alerts during a devastating quake in Turkey in 2023. Google has temporarily disabled the system in Brazil and is investigating the false alarm, apologizing for the inconvenience. The company remains committed to improving its tools.