Apple Adds Earthquake Warning Notifications To iOS 5 For Japanese iPhone users

As reported by 9to5Mac, iOS 5 features earthquake warning notifications inside Notification Center Settings Menu. Apple has added this feature exclusively for Japanese iPhone users with a switch located at the bottom of Notification Center Settings to enable or disable these notifications. To get the earthquake warnings and updates, iOS connects to Japan’s warning system which is recognized as the most advanced system in the world.

Time magazine explains Japan’s tremor detecting system as follows:

Japan has the most advanced earthquake early-warning system in the world. A nationwide online system launched in 2007, it detects tremors, calculates an earthquake’s epicenter and sends out brief warnings from its 1,000-plus seismographs scattered throughout the country, one of the most earthquake-prone nations on the planet.

The above image with the earthquake notifications toggle reads “the feature may reduce your battery life because it is always connected to Japan’s earthquake warning system“.  Without a doubt, Apple’s generous move to add these warnings to iOS will make it easier for users to better prepare for any future earthquakes.

Given that British Columbia’s coast also resides in the seismically active Ring of Fire like Japan, I’d definitely welcome inclusion into a similar system for Canada’s Westcoast, and other areas of the world prone to natural disasters.

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