In order to help the people of Ukraine, Google developers have added an air attack warning system to Android that works today. It uses the same mechanism as the one dedicated to earthquakes and it is triggered by the Ukrainian government’s warning system to which it is linked.
There are no apps to install, as the system is directly integrated with Google Play Services. It is automatically released to all smartphones through an update that should “reach all Android phones in Ukraine in the coming days,” said Dave Burke, vice president of engineering for Android at Google, on Twitter.
According to XDA Developers, who dissected the Google Play Services executable, the alert system uses an approximate geolocation of the terminal in order to target the right people. The following two texts will then appear, before and after the bombardment:
This new feature is just one of the latest steps Google has taken to help Ukrainians. Thus, the high-tech giant has modified Search and Maps so that hotels located in neighboring countries can indicate services or discounts for refugees. Propaganda outlets RT and Sputnik are now banned from search results, in accordance with the decision of the Council of the European Union. Google also makes its start-up center located in Warsaw available to organizations in charge of legal and psychological aid for refugees.
Sources : google, XDA Developers