Before the Quake Struck, Japanese YouTuber’s Phone Rang: Does India Have Such Technology?

A dramatic earthquake incident in Japan has captured global attention after a YouTuber received a timely alert on her smartphone while live streaming, giving her precious seconds to seek safety. The event raises a pressing question: Does India have similar earthquake warning technology?

The Japanese System in Action

Japan, a country that experiences around 2,000 earthquakes annually, has developed one of the world’s most advanced early warning systems. According to reports, the YouTuber’s phone vibrated and sounded an alert moments before the 7.5 magnitude quake struck, allowing her to move to safety while continuing her live stream.

The system, managed by Japan’s Meteorological Agency, instantly detects initial seismic waves and sends alerts via multiple communication channels—radio, mobile phones, sirens, and more. The warning provides a few critical seconds for people to take cover, trains and elevators to stop, and heavy machinery to shut down automatically, mitigating potential damage and casualties.

Where Does India Stand?

India does not yet possess a scientifically proven earthquake early warning system. According to a parliamentary reply in 2025, no technology currently exists globally that can accurately predict the time, location, and impact of earthquakes. While Google rolled out an earthquake alert feature for Android users in India in 2023, which utilized phone sensors to detect tremors, no verified alerts have been reported so far.

Activating Earthquake Alerts on Phones

For Android users, the feature can be checked and activated as follows:

1. Go to Settings → Safety & Emergency → Location.
2. Scroll down to find the “Earthquake Alerts” option.
3. Ensure it is activated.

Despite being available, the system has not yet issued any real alerts in India, highlighting the gap in early warning infrastructure.

This incident underscores the critical role of technology in disaster preparedness and poses an urgent question for India: Can the nation develop a reliable system to provide early alerts before earthquakes strike?