Android: Google sends warnings of air strikes in Ukraine

In the future, Android users in Ukraine will be warned about Russian airstrikes. In a blog post, Google announced that such functionality will be built directly into Play Services in the Android operating system. The corresponding update is already distributed.

Until now, Ukrainians have had to rely on an app in the Play Store for weather alerts, according to Android magazine XDA Developers. This app and the new Android feature work in a similar way: both systems rely on information from the Ukrainian government to send early warnings to mobile phones. Thanks to the integration into the operating system, these warnings will be visible in the future also to people who have not installed an additional application on their smartphone.

Google describes the job in a file Blog entry As a complement to previous warning systems. Google developer Dave Burke wrote on Twitter that the systems are based on the warning mechanism that Google originally developed to warn of earthquakes. However, the warning about air strikes does not stem from data analysis, but is in the hands of the Ukrainian government.

More Google Actions

On its blog, Google describes additional steps to help people in Ukraine. Among other things, Google suspended its advertising networks in Russia and suspended the “vast majority” of its business activities in Russia, the company itself wrote. Gmail, Youtube and Google search still work in Russia.

Google is also working to limit the reach of Russian state media channels. In Europe, apps from state-funded broadcasters are removed from the Play Store. According to Google, other media outlets besides RT and Sputnik are affected. RT and Sputnik can also no longer be found in Google searches.

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