Alex Ruben
How To Disable Earthquake Alerts on Android
In today’s world, earthquake alerts pop up unexpectedly, even if you’re nowhere near a seismic zone. Sometimes, these notifications can be more annoying than helpful, especially when they go off at odd hours or in places with zero risk. So, here’s how to shut them up—simple enough, but not always obvious.
Step 1: Access Your Phone’s Settings
First, gotta get into your settings. Usually, swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal the notification panel, then tap that nifty gear icon. Alternatively, find the Settings app in your app drawer—because of course, Android makes you dig sometimes.
- Swipe down from top for notification shade
- Tap the gear icon or open Settings directly.
Step 2: Navigate to Safety and Emergency Settings
This is the kinda hidden section where they keep safety stuff, including earthquake alerts. Scroll through the settings menu—it’s sometimes buried deep—and look for Safety & Emergency. On some phones, it might be called something slightly different, like Emergency & Alerts or Safety.
- Scroll down until you see Safety & Emergency
- Tap on it. On some devices, this might be nested inside other menus like Advanced Settings.
Step 3: Find Earthquake Alerts
In that safety menu, the goal is to spot Earthquake Alerts. They often live under a section titled something like Emergency Alerts or Alert Types. If you don’t see it right away, check for an option labeled Cell Broadcasts or similar—and yes, it’s a bit confusing.
- Look for Earthquake Alerts
- Tap on it to get into alert settings
Step 4: Disable Earthquake Alerts
Now, here’s the part where you finally get your peace and quit the alerts. Tap the toggle or switch to turn off the Earthquake Alerts. Some phones might call it Seismic Alerts or Emergency Broadcasts. When it’s off, your phone shouldn’t bother you anymore.
And again, weirdly, sometimes the toggle doesn’t work on the first try—be patient, toggle it back on and off, or restart your device if needed. Not sure why, but on some setups this fails the first go, then works after a reboot.
Step 5: Confirm Changes
Once you’ve toggled it off, just double-check by scrolling down the same menu or trying to trigger a demo—some phones have a Test Alerts button just to show you what it’d look like if it were active. Should be silent now, or at least much quieter.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
If you’re still getting weird alerts or they keep coming back, here’s a few things to try:
- Update your system—sometimes outdated firmware messes with alert settings (Check for updates)
- Look in other safety sections: some manufacturers tweak the labels. For example, Samsung calls it Emergency & Alerts in the Connections menu too.
- If alerts are persistent, you might need to disable notifications for the whole app (like the government or weather app)
(Settings > Apps > [App Name] > Notifications).
Conclusion
Once those steps are done, earthquake alerts should be a thing of the past—or at least much less intrusive. Sometimes, it’s trial and error, especially on phones with heavily customized OEM skins. But on one setup it worked, on another… not so much. Just gotta poke around, and a reboot never hurts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I re-enable earthquake alerts later?
Yeah, same process, just toggle them back on when needed. The default settings usually make this easy to do.
What if I can’t find the Safety & Emergency section?
Check your software version—some features move around with updates. Also, try searching for keywords in the settings search bar. Or check your device manufacturer’s online guides; they often move stuff around.
Are there any risks to disabling earthquake alerts?
If you turn these off, you won’t get notified about seismic events—obviously. Not a big deal if you’re nowhere near earthquake zones, but if seismic activity is common in your area, it might be worth keeping them on. Just a tradeoff between peace and awareness.