Google’s “technical glitch” cost 55,000 people their lives. Here’s how

Google has been hyping its Android Earthquake Alerts (AEA) system as a life-saving tool that uses Android phones to warn people in disaster zones. But when it mattered the most—during one of the deadliest earthquakes in Turkey’s recent history—it failed spectacularly. And that failure cost thousands of lives. Fifty-five thousand, to be exact.

What went wrong during the Turkey earthquake?

In February 2023, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey in the early hours of the morning, killing over 55,000 people and injuring more than 100,000. The AEA system, designed to send emergency alerts to Android users, completely dropped the ball. Instead of warning millions, it only issued 469 critical “Take Action” alerts—the kind that bypass Do Not Disturb settings and can actually wake people up. And it happened at 4:17 am, when most people were still asleep indoors.

On the other hand, about 500,000 users received less urgent “Be Aware” alerts. These notifications don’t interrupt sleep and are typically reserved for smaller quakes. In short: most people got the wrong kind of alert, or none at all. One has to wonder in such a case, what's the point of all the investment and research that Google is making in AI.

Why did the system fail?

Turns out, the system massively underestimated the magnitude of the quake. It initially thought the tremor was somewhere between 4.5 and 4.9, instead of the actual 7.8. That glitch meant fewer alerts went out—and they lacked the urgency needed to trigger real action.

After pressure from experts and a BBC investigation, Google admitted the system had flaws. Now, that wouldn't be the first time that Google was not able to forsee its technology failing to do what it was supposed to do.

A paper later published in Science outlined the technical missteps. Google even reran the event using its updated algorithm and claimed it would’ve sent 10 million “Take Action” alerts and 67 million “Be Aware” notifications if the newer version had been active.

Are we supposed to trust this system?

The system did better during a second quake later that same day, with over 8,000 urgent alerts sent. But by then, the damage was already done. Experts have called out Google’s delayed transparency, claiming people died because the system underperformed.

The AEA works independently of government systems and relies solely on Android phones, which make up over 70% of devices in Turkey. Google insists it's just a supplement—not a replacement—for official alerts. But that hasn’t stopped some governments from leaning on it too much, potentially ignoring the need to build their own strong warning networks.

As experts have pointed out, if countries start assuming Google’s got it covered, they might stop investing in proper infrastructure. And that could be dangerous.

Because when tech fails during a crisis, the cost isn’t just a glitch. It’s human lives.