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SeismoWatch for Android
Draw a box on a map, choose a minimum magnitude, and get a notification a few minutes after a matching earthquake is published. Free, no account, no ads.
Get the app
Version 1.4.6 · 7.9 MB · published August 23, 2026 · Android 8.0 or later
Download SeismoWatch 1.4.6 (APK)
Check the file before you install it
This is a direct download, not a store, so verify it. On the phone or on a computer, the SHA-256 of the file you downloaded must match this exactly:
58027117d1a33c140ab17f5a9910ee0e7604f3e621743c29efcd43d5d2a36f23
On Linux or macOS: shasum -a 256 seismowatch-1.4.6.apk. On Windows: certutil -hashfile seismowatch-1.4.6.apk SHA256.
Installing an APK
- Download the file on the phone, or copy it across.
- Open it. Android will ask whether to allow installs from the app you opened it with — your browser or file manager. That permission is per-app, and you can turn it off again afterwards.
- Accept the install. If Play Protect warns that the developer is unknown, that is expected for a direct download: it means the app has not been scanned by Google, not that anything is wrong with it.
- Open SeismoWatch, draw the area you want watched, and set a minimum magnitude.
Updates
A sideloaded app does not update itself. When a new version is published here you install it over the old one; your area and threshold are kept.
What it asks for
The app asks for these permissions, and no others:
INTERNET— Internet accessACCESS_NETWORK_STATE— Network state, to reconnect after a dropPOST_NOTIFICATIONS— Post notificationsFOREGROUND_SERVICE— Run a foreground service, so the connection survivesFOREGROUND_SERVICE_SPECIAL_USE— Declares what that foreground service is for: holding the alert connection openRECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED— Start again after the phone rebootsREQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS— Ask to be exempt from battery optimisation
There is no location permission. The app never asks where you are — the area it watches is the box you draw, which is why it can watch somewhere you are not.
Package name: com.seismowatch.app
What it is not
These are notifications sent after an earthquake has been detected, located and published by a seismological agency — typically a few minutes afterwards. It is not an earthquake early-warning system, it cannot tell you before shaking arrives, and it must not be used as an emergency service.
How earthquake early warning works
Where the alerts come from
The service watches the USGS global catalog, the EMSC European-Mediterranean catalog and, in Venezuela, FUNVISIS, and pushes a matching event to the phone over a persistent connection.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free?
Yes. No account, no subscription, no ads, and no in-app purchases.
Is there an iPhone version?
No. SeismoWatch is Android only. On an iPhone, keep government emergency alerts switched on and use this site’s live pages; the guides explain what an iPhone can and cannot do.
Why is it not on Google Play?
It is distributed directly for now. That means you install the APK yourself and check its checksum, and that the app will not update itself.
Will it drain the battery?
It keeps one connection open through a foreground service, which is why Android shows a permanent notification for it. That is far cheaper than polling, but it is not free — you can set a higher magnitude threshold to be woken less often.
Does it know where I am?
No. The app requests no location permission at all. It watches the rectangle you draw on the map, which can be anywhere in the world.
How quickly does an alert arrive?
It depends on the agency: publication usually takes a few minutes after the earthquake, and the service checks for new events every 60 seconds on top of that. It is not, and cannot be, a warning before the shaking.