SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - During Earthquake Preparedness Month, Governor Gavin Newsom announced on April 25 a major milestone: the MyShake app, which alerts Californians before an earthquake begins, has surpassed 4 million downloads, the equivalent of more than 10% of the state. This achievement is a significant step in expanding access to California’s life-saving earthquake technology and building resilience across the state.

Launched under Governor Gavin Newsom’s leadership, California’s nation-leading Earthquake Early Warning system notifies residents in advance of shaking by using ground motion sensors across California. More than 60% of the 1,046 sensors have been installed since the program launched in 2019, making the system more accurate and able to deliver alerts faster.

Last week, the MyShake app distributed 693,044 alerts for the 5.2 magnitude earthquake near Julian in San Diego County, a subset of the total 7.5 million alerts sent out for that event. Some MyShake users received as much as 35 seconds notice before shaking occurred.

“MyShake provides Californians with life-saving seconds before earthquakes strike. This milestone is a proud moment for California, and a reminder that preparedness is a continuous effort. We urge everyone to spread the word to friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to download this critical tool,” said Governor Newsom.

The California Earthquake Early Warning System combines the MyShake smartphone application with traditional alert and warning delivery methods such as Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). Now, with the integration of early warning technology within the most popular smartphone devices, the system can deliver alerts to most Californians.

Since its inception, MyShake has delivered more than 5 million alerts for nearly 170 earthquakes.

The MyShake app is free, easy to use and available in six languages (English, Spanish, Chinese (Traditional), Tagalog, Korean, and Vietnamese). It can be downloaded on iOS, Android and Chromebooks. The app contains earthquake and tsunami preparedness information not found in other alerting platforms and includes the secure Homebase feature which allows users to set a default location where they can receive earthquake early warning alerts even if location services are temporarily down or turned off.

Californians are also encouraged to pair earthquake early warning with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Earthquake Readiness Guide. This recently released comprehensive guide offers clear, easy-to-follow earthquake safety tips, explains essential preparedness steps and how Californians can take protective actions before, during and after an earthquake.

To learn more about earthquake preparedness and download the MyShake earthquake early warning application, visit earthquake.ca.gov.