Credit: Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
- Wear OS smartwatches may soon get earthquake alerts via a Google Play Services update.
- This feature would be handy for cellular smartwatch users who leave their phones behind.
- The earthquake alerts system uses crowdsourced data from accelerometers on Android smartphones to sense vibrations.
Android smartphones with pre-installed Google apps ship with an underappreciated safety feature: earthquake alerts. The Android Earthquake Alert System crowdsources earthquake signals by leveraging the small accelerometers within phones that can sense vibrations and speed. This feature has been restricted to Android smartphones, but Wear OS smartwatches could soon also get this life-saving earthquake alert feature.