Japanese iPhone users will receive earthquakes alerts more conveniently thanks to tech company giant Apple. The company has included a new feature in its iOS 5 to issue early warnings of impending earthquakes, according to 9to5Mac.
Currently iPhone users in Japan rely on apps such as Yurekuru Call, an application bought from the app store which warns the user of incoming earthquakes.
However, now Apple will implement this function directly into its new operating system in Japan. All a user must do is turn on early earthquake notifications at the bottom of the iOS 5 Notification Center settings pane and the device will connect to Japan’s earthquake warning system.
The Japanese warning system alerts citizens from seconds, to one or two minutes before an earthquake hits, according to Time.
Time magazine conducted a profile of Japan’s earthquake warning system earlier this year and deemed it the most advanced earthquake early-warning system in the world. It works off of the 1,000 plus seismographs scattered throughout the nation and sends out brief warnings before a quake hits, detects tremors and calculates an earthquake’s epicenter.
One down side of the technology is that by staying constantly connected to Japan’s warning system the battery life on the iPhone will not last as long, according to 9to5Mac.
Over 16,000 people died in the 2011 earthquake in Japan.
Apple’s chief executive Steve Jobs immediately reached out to the company’s Japanese employees after the earthquake via email, offering help and support if they or their families were affected by the natural disaster.
The new Apple operating system is expected to be released in September.
The next generation iPhone will include iOS 5.
That device is expected to come out in early October, with pre-orders starting by the end of September.
