Apple Customer Service Responds to Lack of Earthquake Alerts on 7 Phones, Stating Devices Lack Built-in Detection Function
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Following the 6.2-magnitude earthquake in Jishishan County, Linxia Prefecture, Gansu, a topic quickly trended online: a user claimed that none of their seven iPhones received earthquake alerts, drawing significant attention and debate. Apple's customer service response further fueled discussions. Representatives stated that iPhones inherently lack earthquake detection capabilities and that implementing alerts requires collaboration with local governments. They advised users to temporarily download third-party warning apps and mentioned collecting customer feedback for future consideration.
This incident raised questions about why Apple and Samsung phones lack built-in earthquake warning features in China. Similar discussions topped Weibo's trending list after the August 6, 2023, earthquake in Shandong's Dezhou. Some users argued that given iPhones' premium pricing, the absence of such a critical feature seems unreasonable. In contrast, mainstream domestic Android phones offer earthquake alert activation options in their "Settings."
Investigations revealed that the latest iPhone software shows no "Government Alerts" option at the bottom of the "Notifications" menu, despite Apple's claims of its existence. Another Apple representative clarified that iPhones do support earthquake warnings but cannot provide the service without government-supplied seismic data.
Meanwhile, downloads of earthquake warning apps surged on Apple's China App Store, with the top three free apps all related to alerts. The top-ranked app, "Earthquake Warning," is developed by the Chengdu High-Tech Disaster Reduction Institute, a partner of domestic Android manufacturers.
Additionally, Samsung has stated that users need to download third-party apps to enable earthquake warning functionality on their phones.
In June 2021, China launched its first mobile phone earthquake monitoring and warning network, leveraging millions to billions of connected smartphones to extend earthquake warning capabilities to areas not covered by traditional seismic networks. At that time, four major domestic smartphone manufacturers (Xiaomi, Vivo, OPPO, and Huawei) had integrated earthquake warning features into their operating systems, equipping approximately 600 million Chinese smartphones with earthquake alert functionality.
With technological advancements and increasing user demand, earthquake warning features are bound to become a standard feature in smartphones!