- Wireless emergency alerts on Android now include a map
- This shows your proximity to the emergency event
- The update is rolling out with the latest version of Google Play Services
Wireless emergency alerts on Android are something you may have encountered in the past: they are notifications that appear on your phone, alerting you to severe weather conditions or other dangers you might need to be aware of.
These are usually products designed for your own safety, but they are issued by the government, so it depends on what the government considers an emergency.
In any case, these alerts are regional, so the idea is that you only receive them in the event of an emergency affecting your area, but this can still be a little vague, leaving you unsure how concerned or alerted you should be, which is where a new update comes in.
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Now with added maps
Now, with the Google Play Services v26.12 update, wireless emergency alerts will include a map, so you can see the affected area and its proximity to your current location directly from the alert.
This means there’s no need to launch other apps or alert Google for more information: you can simply see at a glance exactly which areas are affected, so you know if you need to take shelter or make other changes to your routine.
This is both practical and, in the most extreme cases, potentially life-saving: it saves time and reduces the risk that people ignore alerts, assuming they are irrelevant.
You won’t necessarily get this update yet, as there may be gradual rollouts, but if you have an Android phone you should hopefully receive it soon, so that the next wireless emergency alert you receive will allow you to act much more quickly.
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