Ankara / Mountain View – July 28, 2025
Google has acknowledged that its early earthquake warning system failed to properly notify the population during the devastating earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey in February 2023.
Although up to 10 million people within a 98-mile radius of the epicenter could have received a top-level alert—providing as much as 35 seconds of advance warning—only 469 “Take Action” alerts were actually sent out for the first 7.8 magnitude quake.
In a statement to the BBC, Google admitted that approximately 500,000 people were instead notified with lower-level warnings, designed for milder shaking, which do not visibly alert users in the same way as higher-severity notifications.
The system, which operates on Android devices—used by over 70% of mobile phone users in Turkey—was active during the earthquakes but, according to Google, underestimated the intensity of the seismic activity.
The February 2023 disaster involved two major earthquakes, resulting in over 55,000 deaths and more than 100,000 injuries, with many victims trapped in collapsed buildings.
“The system was running at the time of the earthquakes but did not perform as intended. We continue to improve it based on what we learn from each seismic event,” a Google spokesperson said.
The incident has raised questions about the reliability of automated early warning systems during extreme natural disasters and the importance of real-time calibration and accuracy when public safety is at stake.
