A free, open-source Android and Wear OS app that turns your phone into an automatic rescue beacon after an earthquake. Once triggered, it emits an audible siren, a Bluetooth signal that rescuers can detect with any standard scanner, and optionally an SMS with your GPS position to emergency contacts.

The app was designed and developed by Göran Skoog and is released under GNU General Public License v2.0 (GPLv2). Anyone can download, install, and use it at no cost. Developers or rescue organizations are free to study, adapt, and improve the code, as long as any modified version stays open source.

Three independent sources can trigger it: the phone’s built-in motion sensor detecting strong, unusual shaking; official government earthquake alerts such as WEA, ETWS or J-Alert received through the phone’s carrier; or manual activation. Whichever detects the event first, the outcome is identical.

No. Detection works in two steps to avoid false alarms. A low-power hardware sensor first filters out everyday handling like walking or pocket movement. It only wakes up for clearly abnormal motion. If triggered, the regular accelerometer then checks for several seconds to confirm the pattern actually resembles an earthquake before activation.

You get a 5-minute countdown on screen before the alarm activates automatically. During that time you can tap ”I AM SAFE – CANCEL” if everything is fine, or ”NOT SAFE – ACTIVATE NOW” to skip the countdown. If you do nothing, the alarm activates on its own when the countdown reaches zero.

No. It works completely offline once installed. Detection relies on the phone’s own hardware sensor and on cell broadcast channels used for official emergency alerts, not on an internet connection or any cloud service.

Google’s Earthquake Alert system provides life-saving advance warning before or during shaking, and we support using it in all available countries. QuakeRescue LifeLink activates after the shaking stops, when buildings have collapsed and networks may be down. It uses the phone’s own motion sensor plus carrier cell broadcast channels, so it works in all countries without requiring dedicated infrastructure or internet.

Anyone with a common mobile phone. You don’t need special equipment. Ordinary people nearby can open Bluetooth settings or download a free scanner app like nRF Connect or LightBlue and immediately see ”SOS QuakeRescue Signal” with a unique beacon ID — just like finding an AirTag. The public can screenshot the signal and share the location with rescue teams. Professional rescue teams’ equipment also detects it directly. This means civilians near the disaster site can actively help locate trapped victims before rescue teams arrive.

Three signals run in parallel: an audible siren from the phone’s speaker for audio location, a Bluetooth Low Energy beacon that any scanner can pick up, and if enabled, an SMS to saved emergency contacts containing a fresh GPS position and Google Maps link. All three follow the same battery-based schedule.

The app automatically switches between five power-saving levels based on current battery percentage. Above 50% battery it cycles every 15 minutes with Bluetooth active about 13% of the time. Below 5% it stretches to 60-minute cycles with Bluetooth active only about 2% of the time and the siren sounding roughly every 4 hours. The system only listens for major earthquake-level shaking in standby, so normal daily use consumes minimal power.

No. The screen is intentionally dimmed to near zero while the alarm is active to save battery, but the instant the screen turns on or the phone is unlocked, brightness automatically rises to a clearly readable level. When the screen turns off again, it drops back down.

This is deliberately made difficult. Turning it off requires holding the STOP button for 5 seconds, then holding a second confirmation button for 3 seconds in a follow-up dialog. A single tap or letting go early resets the process with no effect. Starting the alarm only takes one tap, because an accidental activation is harmless while an accidental deactivation could be life-threatening.