How Google’s Earthquake Alerts Protected Millions — And How to Turn It On in Quake-Prone Countries When two massive earthquakes (7.2 and 7.5) struck Venezuela recently, the country had no national early warning system. But millions of Android phones lit up with loud alerts seconds to minutes before the shaking hit — giving people precious time to drop, cover, and hold on. Google’s clever system turns the accelerometers in over 2 billion Android phones into a giant crowdsourced seismic network. It detects the first waves, confirms the quake, and blasts notifications to users in the affected area. In Venezuela, it reached 11.4 million people — proving technology can save lives even where governments can’t. How to activate it (works in nearly 100 countries): Open Settings on your Android phone. Tap Safety & Emergency (or search for “Earthquake alerts”). Select Earthquake Alerts and toggle it ON. Keep Location services ena...
Huawei has quietly announced a new version of its EMUI software for global users. EMUI 12 succeeds EMUI 11 with a cleaner UI and several new features. The look of the latest Android skin is inspired by Harmony OS 2.0. While Huawei is also expected to bring the new operating system to its existing phones, it seems the company is not ready to ditch EMUI altogether. EMUI 12 design and UI changes EMUI 12 comes with a redesigned interface. Huawei is using more rounded corners and gradients while sticking to a black, blue, and white color format. New animations also make the UI look more vibrant. Huawei says it was inspired by how celestial objects move in the universe. EMUI 12 also allows users to adjust the weight of the font on their phones using a slider.Users can now swipe down from any screen to open up the control panel. Here, they’ll be able to quickly access audio playback, Wi-Fi settings, Bluetooth, shortcuts switches, and more. There’s also a new Device Plu...