To help Ukraine, Google has announced a valuable update for Android users. The tech giant has rolled out an update that will initiate air raid alerts for Android users in Ukraine. Google has started rolling out a rapid Air Raid Alerts system. Also Read - Google Play users in Russia can no longer update or download paid apps: All you need to know
Dave Burke, vice president of engineering at Google, posted a tweet and said the company is helping millions of people in Ukraine and rolling out a rapid Air Raid Alerts system. Also Read - Over 50,000 IT jobs likely to shift to India amid Ukraine conflict: Report
“The system leverages our low latency alert mechanism we built for earthquake alerts. The air raid system is supplemental too and shares the same triggers used for the country’s existing air raid alert systems,” Burke tweeted. Also Read - No more Spotify in Russia! Here's why
Tragically, millions of people in Ukraine now rely on air strike alerts to try get to safety. Working with the Ukrainian government, we're rolling out a rapid Air Raid Alerts system for all Android phones in Ukraine. https://t.co/tCzs0eI9iW 1/3
— Dave Burke (@davey_burke) March 10, 2022
The company said in its blog post that the Threat Analysis Group is focusing on the safety and security of our users in Ukraine and the surrounding region. The TAG has issued hundreds of government-backed attack warnings to Ukrainian users alerting them for 12 months. Additionally, as part of the increased investment in Poland, Google is also using Google’s spaces and resources to support those affected by the war.
“At the request, and with the help of the government of Ukraine, we’ve started rolling out a rapid Air Raid Alerts system for Android phones in Ukraine,” Walker wrote. “This work is supplemental to the country’s existing air raid alert systems and based on alerts already being delivered by the Ukrainian government,” said Kent Walker, president of global affairs for Google.
To recall, the company has paused Google ads in Russia, including ads on our properties and networks globally for all Russian-based advertisers, new Cloud sign-ups, the payments functionality for most of our services, and monetization features for YouTube viewers in Russia. Free services like Search, Gmail, and YouTube are still operating in the country.