On a March day in 2022, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine pressed on, Google began delivering a new kind of safeguard into the pockets of Android users: air raid alerts. Asked by Ukraine's government, the company repurposed the rapid mechanism it had built for earthquakes, so that warnings already issued by the state could reach people within moments. It is a small technical act carrying a very old human need, the wish for a few seconds of warning before danger arrives. Alongside it, the company was also stepping back from commerce in Russia, a reminder that technology firms now find themselves
Google Rolls Out Air Raid Alerts to Android Phones Across Ukraine
Millions of people in Ukraine rely on air strike alerts to reach safety during Russia's ongoing invasion.
Millions of people in Ukraine now rely on air strike alerts to try to get to safety
Mark
Why does it matter that Google built this on earthquake technology?
Mimi
Because it already existed. Burke said the system uses the low-latency alert mechanism made for earthquakes, so Google wasn't starting from nothing.
Mark
Does Google detect the air raids itself?
Mimi
No. Walker said it's based on alerts the Ukrainian government already delivers, and Burke said it shares the same triggers as the existing systems.
Luke
Right, so it's a second delivery channel, not a new warning source. That's worth keeping straight.
Mark
And it was the government that asked?
Mimi
Walker said it came at Ukraine's request and with its help.
Luke
That's Google's account in its own blog post. We don't have independent confirmation or comment from Ukrainian officials in this piece.
Mark
How fast is it reaching people?
Mimi
It started Thursday, and Burke said all Android phones in Ukraine should be covered over the next few days.
Luke
Note that's a stated plan. TechCrunch had asked Google for more details and hadn't heard back, so we don't know how many phones are reached or how quickly alerts arrive.
Mark
What about the Russia side?
Mimi
Google paused most commercial activity there, but Search, Gmail and YouTube still work.
Il Polso
- Millions of people in Ukraine are depending on air strike warnings to find shelter, and every second of delay matters.
- Google is adapting its earthquake alert infrastructure to carry the government's existing air raid triggers onto every Android phone in the country.
- The rollout is meant to reach all Android devices in Ukraine over several days, starting immediately with the government's help.
- At the same time, Google has paused most of its commercial activity in Russia, while free services like Search, Gmail and YouTube remain online and further policy moves remain possible.
On a March day in 2022, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine pressed on, Google began delivering a new kind of safeguard into the pockets of Android users: air raid alerts. Asked by Ukraine's government, the company repurposed the rapid mechanism it had built for earthquakes, so that warnings already issued by the state could reach people within moments. It is a small technical act carrying a very old human need, the wish for a few seconds of warning before danger arrives. Alongside it, the company was also stepping back from commerce in Russia, a reminder that technology firms now find themselves drawn into the moral weather of war.
On Thursday, March 10, 2022, Google announced that it had begun rolling out Air Raid Alerts to Android phones in Ukraine. The company's president of global affairs, Kent Walker, explained in a blog post that millions of people there now rely on air strike warnings to reach safety. The system was started at the request of the Ukrainian government and works as a supplement to the alerts the country already sends, rather than as a separate detection effort by Google.
Dave Burke, Google's vice president of engineering, described the technical side. The feature uses the low-latency mechanism originally built for earthquake alerts and shares the same triggers as Ukraine's existing systems. The rollout began that day and was expected to reach every Android phone in the country over the following few days. TechCrunch noted it had asked Google for more detail.
The same post addressed the wider war. Google said it would keep limiting recommendations for several Russian state-funded media outlets and had paused most of its commercial activity in Russia. This followed an earlier decision to stop showing ads there. Free services such as Search, Gmail and YouTube remain available in Russia, and the company said it would keep watching events and could make further changes.
On Thursday, March 10, 2022, Google announced that it had begun rolling out a rapid Air Raid Alerts system to Android phones in Ukraine. The feature is the company's newest step in responding to Russia's ongoing invasion of the country.
Kent Walker, Google's president of global affairs, laid out the reasoning in a blog post. He wrote that millions of people in Ukraine now depend on air strike alerts as they try to reach safety. The system, he said, was started at the request of the Ukrainian government and with its help.
Walker described the new alerts as supplemental to the air raid warning systems Ukraine already operates. They are built on alerts the Ukrainian government is already sending out, rather than on any separate detection by Google.
Dave Burke, Google's vice president of engineering, filled in the technical picture in a series of tweets. The system uses the low-latency alert mechanism the company originally built for earthquake alerts. Burke said the air raid system shares the same triggers as the country's existing alert systems. He also said the rollout was beginning that day and would reach all Android phones in Ukraine over the following few days.
TechCrunch said it had asked Google for more detail on the rollout and would update its article when a response came.
The same blog post covered other measures tied to the war. Google said it would keep working to limit recommendations for a number of Russian state-funded media outlets across its platforms. It also said it was pausing most of its commercial activity in Russia.
That pause builds on an announcement the previous week that Google had stopped showing ads in Russia. The company said it had now paused the vast majority of its commercial activities there. That covers ads on its own properties and networks worldwide for all Russia-based advertisers, new Cloud sign-ups, payment functions for most of its services, and monetization features for YouTube viewers in Russia.
Google's free services remain available in Russia, including Search, Gmail and YouTube. The company said it would keep monitoring developments, so further changes to its Russia policies remain possible, while the alert rollout in Ukraine continues over the coming days.
Citazioni salienti
Millions of people in Ukraine now rely on air strike alerts to try to get to safety, and the system was started at the request of the Ukrainian government.— Kent Walker, president of global affairs, Google
The air raid system is supplemental to, and shares the same triggers as, the country's existing alert systems.— Dave Burke, vice president of engineering, Google
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