Feel it before
it's the news.
QuakeWatch turns raw seismic data into clear, immediate alerts — for you, your home, and the people you check on first. Real magnitudes. Real distances. No guessing.
Free to download · Optional Plus tier for extended family monitoring
Everything you need, nothing you don't.
Four systems working together so you're never the last to know.
Know the moment the ground moves.
QuakeWatch streams data straight from seismic networks worldwide and pushes an alert to your lock screen in seconds — with magnitude, distance, and estimated shaking intensity at your exact location.
- Push notifications tuned to your sensitivity threshold
- Distance and estimated arrival time for shaking
- Quiet hours that still let severe events through
Watch the places that matter, not just where you stand.
Add home, work, a parent's house, or a vacation rental. QuakeWatch monitors every pin around the clock and alerts you the instant activity is detected nearby — even while your phone stays in your pocket.
- Unlimited saved locations on QuakeWatch Plus
- Per-location alert thresholds
- Background monitoring with minimal battery impact
Seismic activity, right on your Home and Lock Screen.
Glance at a live widget to see the most recent nearby event, or keep a running feed of global activity without opening the app. Built for iOS 17+ widgets and the Dynamic Island.
- Home Screen, Lock Screen, and StandBy widgets
- Dynamic Island tracking for in-progress events
- Auto-refreshing feed, no manual pull-to-update
Check on the people you'd call first — automatically.
Link family and friends to see when an earthquake occurs near them, with an option for them to mark themselves safe. One tap replaces a dozen frantic texts.
- Private circles — nothing shared publicly
- One-tap “I'm safe” replies
- Alerts scoped to each person's actual location
The full picture, every time.
Full earthquake details
Origin time, coordinates, felt reports, and tectonic context for every event — not just a headline number.
Interactive fault maps
Pan and zoom a live map of activity near you or anywhere in the world, layered with fault lines and past events.
Magnitude & depth, explained
See the raw numbers alongside plain-language context for what they actually mean where you are standing.
Global coverage
Every region, every network. QuakeWatch doesn't stop at a border, and neither does your peace of mind.
Historical archive
Browse years of activity for any location to understand the seismic pattern of a place before you move — or visit.
Aftershock tracking
Follow a sequence as it evolves, with a running count and forecasted likelihood of further aftershocks.
How an alert actually reaches you.
Sensors detect motion
Seismic networks around the world register ground motion the instant it starts, long before it's confirmed as newsworthy.
QuakeWatch verifies & scores
Our pipeline cross-checks multiple networks, estimates magnitude and depth, and calculates who is actually close enough to feel it.
You get an alert, in seconds
A push notification, widget update, and — for people in your circle — a status ping, all within seconds of detection.
Global coverage, down to your street.
QuakeWatch aggregates data from seismic networks on every continent, so coverage doesn't thin out the moment you cross a border.
A live seismic map in your pocket.
Filter activity by timeframe and magnitude, then move from a global view to the exact event details that matter.
Pacific Ring of Fire
Highest event density, sub-5s alerting
Mediterranean & Middle East
Dense network coverage across 30+ countries
Americas
Coast-to-coast monitoring, Alaska to Patagonia
South & Central Asia
Himalayan and Indonesian arc coverage
“The widget alone is worth it — I saw the alert before my building even finished shaking.”
“I added my parents' address and now I know they're okay within a minute of anything happening.”
“Finally an earthquake app that explains depth and magnitude instead of just yelling a number at me.”
Frequently asked questions
How much warning will I actually get?
It depends entirely on your distance from the epicenter and the type of earthquake. QuakeWatch delivers alerts as fast as detection networks allow — often within seconds of an event being registered — but for earthquakes at or very near your location, there may be little to no warning before shaking begins. QuakeWatch is designed to inform you quickly, not to promise advance notice for every event.
Is QuakeWatch a replacement for official emergency alerts?
No. QuakeWatch is an informational tool that supplements — never replaces — official alerts from agencies like your national geological survey or local emergency management authority. Always follow guidance from official sources and local authorities during and after an earthquake.
How many locations can I monitor?
Free accounts can monitor one location plus your current position. QuakeWatch Plus unlocks unlimited saved locations, so you can track home, work, family members, and anywhere else that matters to you.
Does QuakeWatch work outside the country I live in?
Yes. QuakeWatch aggregates data from seismic networks around the world, so both alerts and location monitoring work globally, not just in your home region.
Will alerts drain my battery?
QuakeWatch uses efficient background refresh and push notifications rather than continuous GPS tracking, so typical battery impact is minimal — comparable to a weather or news app.
How does the family and friends feature protect my privacy?
Location sharing with a contact is opt-in on both sides, visible only within your private circle, and can be revoked at any time. QuakeWatch never sells or publicly shares your location data. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
What happens if I lose signal during an earthquake?
QuakeWatch relies on an internet or cellular connection to deliver alerts, so service interruptions can delay or prevent notifications. We recommend also enrolling in your region's official public warning system as a backup.
Don't wait for the headline.
Download QuakeWatch free and get your first alert set up in under a minute.
Talk to the QuakeWatch team.
Whether it's a missed alert, a billing question, or feedback on the app, send us a message and a real person will get back to you — usually within one business day.
- support@quakewatch.app
- Response time
- Typically within 1 business day