Uber suffers a major blow as it loses its London license

Why it matters to you

If you’re in London and ride regularly with Uber, you may soon have to make alternative plans.

In one of the biggest blows to Uber’s business since its founding eight years ago, the ridesharing company has had its application for a new operating license in London rejected.

Regulator Transport for London (TfL) told Uber on Friday that it is “not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator license” and therefore will not grant a replacement when the current one expires at the end of this month. Uber has 21 days to appeal the ruling and can continue serving riders during that time.

Uber says it currently has more than 3.5 million Londoners using its service, and around 40,000 drivers who make a living from it.

In a statement explaining its decision, TfL said its regulation of taxi and private hire businesses aimed to ensure the safety of passengers. But it said Uber’s approach and conduct demonstrated “a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications.”

These include:

• Its approach to reporting serious criminal offences
• Its approach to how medical certificates are obtained
• Its approach to how Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are obtained
• Its approach to explaining the use of Grayball in London, software that could be used to block regulatory bodies from gaining full access to the app and prevent officials from undertaking regulatory or law enforcement duties

Uber’s London operation came under fire in August, 2017 when it was accused of failing to report directly to police a string of serious crimes allegedly committed by its drivers.

Uber: Riders and drivers will be “astounded”

Responding to TfL’s decision, Tom Elvidge, general manager of Uber London, said Uber’s riders and drivers in the capital city would be “astounded by this decision,” one which the company will appeal.

He said the decision to ban the app showed that TfL and the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, had “caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice.”

“To defend the livelihoods of all those drivers, and the consumer choice of millions of Londoners who use our app, we intend to immediately challenge this in the courts.”

Elvidge insisted that Uber drivers are licensed by TfL “and have been through the same enhanced DBS background checks as black-cab drivers. Our pioneering technology has gone further to enhance safety with every trip tracked and recorded by GPS. We have always followed TfL rules on reporting serious incidents and have a dedicated team who work closely with the Metropolitan Police. As we have already told TfL, an independent review has found that ‘grayball’ has never been used or considered in the U.K. for the purposes cited by TfL.”

He finished by claiming the ban would “show the world that, far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies who bring choice to consumers.”

London’s mayor comments

London mayor Sadiq Khan said all businesses operating in London “must play by the rules and adhere to the high standards we expect, particularly when it comes to the safety of customers. Providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security.”

Khan added that it would be “wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners’ safety and security.”

Signs that Uber’s London operation was coming under increased scrutiny came in May when its license was renewed for just four months instead of the usual five years.

It’s too early to say how Uber riders and drivers in London will react to Friday’s decision, though when TfL proposed limiting Uber’s operations with strict private hire rules in 2015, more than 200,000 people signed a petition in protest. Most of the proposals were subsequently dropped.

Uber has been having a tough time of it lately. Facing mounting criticism over how it conducts its business, it was also rocked by allegations in February of sexual harassment in the workplace. More recently, Uber founder Travis Kalanick was forced to resign by investors concerned about the direction in which the company was heading, and it’s also currently embroiled in a legal battle with Google/Alphabet.

Best iOS app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes Apple apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers put paid apps on sale for free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest iOS app deals available from the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

ChainWise

Choose your favorite restaurants and then quickly find them nearby or in any city. ChainWise is perfect for traveling or just choosing a restaurant near home.

Available on:

iOS

Being. Life

This app is a Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) tool that adjusts to your time schedule. Your new player comes loaded with the app maker’s first title: Life Simply.

Available on:

iOS

Cheerleader

Get the positivity flowing! Procrastination begone. We all need that little boost to get through our day. With Cheerleader, you will have your own cheerful mini promoter.

Available on:

iOS

Universal Doctor Speaker

Universal Doctor Speaker is a multilingual app providing key medical phrases translated across 17 languages, with audios to facilitate communication between patients and healthcare professionals who don’t share a common language.

Available on:

iOS

Blue

Blue provides 36-hour weather forecasts relevant to your location in a fast and fun interface. Swipe up to see each hour represented in a beautiful gradient visual—whether in Fiji, or just at work.

Available on:

iOS

Remote Drive

Turn your iPhone or iPad into the wireless flash drive for your Mac. Have full access to your Mac files – use your iOS device to stream videos, and view photos and documents, from anywhere within your home.

Available on:

iTunesiOS

How to set up the fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy Note 8

After setting it up, you can unlock your phone with a fingerprint.

Fingerprint sensors offer a viable alternative to unlocking your phone with a pattern, or having no security on your phone at all. While the sensor of the Note 8 is a bit peskier for some folks to reach, it can make unlocking your phone easier in a pinch. We’ve got all the details on how to set up and personalize this feature!

• How to set up the fingerprint sensor on Note 8
• How to set up the fingerprint sensor so it unlocks your phone
• How to disable the fingerprint sensor unlock
• How to add a second fingerprint to the sensor
• How to remove a fingerprint from your phone

How to set up the fingerprint sensor on Note 8

In order to unlock your phone or confirm purchases using only a fingerprint, you’ll need to set this feature up. Thankfully this is a pretty simple process that ought to only take a minute or two.

Tap the gear icon to open Settings.

Tap Lock screen and security.

Tap Fingerprint scanner.

Follow the instructions to add your fingerprint.

How to set up the fingerprint scanner so it unlocks your phone

One of the biggest perks of adding your fingerprint to your phone, is the ability to unlock your phone using a saved fingerprint. The sensor is in a bit of an awkward spot, but once you’re used to it, this method can save you time in a pinch.

Tap the gear icon to open Settings.

Tap Lock screen and security.

Tap Screen lock type.

Tap the toggle next to fingerprints to turn it on.

How to disable the finger print sensor unlock

If you decide that you don’t want your phone to be able to be unlocked with a fingerprint, then all you need to do is turn off that feature. All it takes is a tap, and you’ll no longer be able to unlock your phone using the sensor.

Tap the gear icon to open Settings.

Tap Lock screen and security.

Tap Screen lock type.

Tap the toggle next to fingerprints to turn it off.

How to add a second fingerprint to the sensor

In some cases, you may want to have more than one saved fingerprint. This can be handy if you are ambidextrous or often end up using your Note 8 with both hands at once.

Tap the gear icon to open Settings.

Tap Lock screen and security.

Tap Fingerprint Scanner.
Tap the green plus icon next to Add fingerprint.

Follow the instructions onscreen to add a fingerprint.

How to remove a fingerprint from your phone.

If you decide that you aren’t really a fan of having your fingerprints stored on your phone, then you can always delete them from within the settings. This means you won’t be able to use the fingerprint sensor anymore though unless you have saved multiple fingerprints to your device.

Tap the gear icon to open Settings.
Tap Lock screen and security.

Tap Fingerprint Scanner.

Tap Edit.

Tap to choose the fingerprint you want to remove.

Tap Remove.

Tap Remove again.

Questions?

Do you have questions about setting up or using the Fingerprint sensor with your Note 8? Is there something we missed that ought to be here? Let us know about it in the comments below!

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

• Galaxy Note 8 review
• Complete Galaxy Note 8 specs
• Galaxy Note 8 vs. Galaxy Note 5
• Which Note 8 color is best?
• Join our Galaxy Note 8 forums

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5 reasons to switch away from Sprint

Having a phone with Sprint isn’t going to work for everyone.

Having phone service that’s cheap and good is important.

Finding the right phone carrier is a pretty big deal. We’re using our phones more than ever, and doing more with them — they’re not just for making calls anymore. And sometimes, finding the right carrier doesn’t happen on the first try. What’s important is that you know it and are ready to move on.

A lot of folks are happy with Sprint, just like a lot of folks are happy with any of the other carriers here in the states. If you’re one of those happy people, that’s awesome. But if you’re not, and you’re thinking the grass might be greener with another company, here are five things to think about and see if it’s time to make a change.

Coverage

Nothing is more important than coverage, at least when we’re talking about or phones. Having the latest and greatest means nothing if you can’t use it. And Sprint has, erm, issues when it comes to coverage.

Sprint has done a heck of a job with their network and it’s getting a lot better than it was just a couple of years ago. The problem is that it was so bad that big improvements need to keep coming before Sprint can work for a lot of us. It’s not just an issue of not having sufficient cell sites to provide a signal. In places that are covered, it seems like network speeds are poor and inconsistent.

If you live in an area with good Sprint coverage, you know how good it can be. Sprint has upped their game in my neck of the woods, and their network is really strong. But a lot of us don’t live in one of those places, and if you’re on the fringe and frustrated with Sprint, it might be time to make a switch.

Phone selection

Sprint has gotten some exclusives recently with the HTC Bolt and the Essential Phone, but if you like the idea of unlocked phones that you can use anywhere, Sprint isn’t right for you.

Even phones that could work on Sprint’s network are often unable to because Sprint hasn’t approved them. This is mostly a relic of the past when the network was CDMA-based, but it’s going to be a while before everything is phased out and the network repurposes some of the old spectrum.

Sprint will have the popular models every carrier gets and other than some branding, they will be the same. But if you’re itching to order something crazy from Amazon for your next phone, Sprint isn’t for you and it’s time to switch.

Customer service

In J.D.Power’s 2017 ratings for wireless carrier’s customer care, Sprint finished at the bottom of the four major carriers in the U.S. and the overall score was below the industry average. It was the same in 2016 and 2015 and 2014 and I’m not going to keep on about this. You get the picture.

When things stop working or the bill isn’t right or you just have a question, your carrier needs to be there to help. I’m sure Sprint does its best and that many are happy with how things are handled when they go wrong. But overall, if you value customer service, you might want to switch carriers.

Network speed

Coverage may be the most important thing about your carrier, but for some, the network speed is a close second.

This ties in closely with coverage and it’s why we say never depend on a provider’s coverage map. Sprint’s upgraded network locations can be fast. As in, super-flipping-fast. 3X carrier aggregation means a theoretical 200% speed boost and Sprint’s claims of a 240 M/sec or higher average speed aren’t very far off the mark. But only if you’re in one of the markets with carrier aggregation in place, have the right phone, and (most importantly) the network isn’t under any significant load.

If Sprint continues their network upgrade as planned, everywhere with full LTE coverage will have better network speeds. But if you’re tired of waiting you might want to pack up and move on.

Unlimited plans

Sprint offers excellent unlimited plans. They’re priced low, they have very few restrictions, and the current promotional pricing (ends October 2018) for family plans is far below any other carrier. Sprint wants more customers, and they are offering a great deal on unlimited plans to try and get them.

So why is it listed here? Because they can be enticing and there’s a good chance you’ll regret it all after you’ve signed a lease for 24 months. While this is about reasons to switch from Sprint, it’s also a good place to remind folks to check on things like network reliability and performance before they sign on to any carrier.

Sprint is the right carrier for a lot of people. But if you’re not one of them, the hanging on and waiting for things to get better can be frustrating. Think about your wireless service and decide if it’s time for you to change things around.

5 reasons you should switch away from Verizon

5 reasons you should switch away from AT&T

5 reasons you should switch away from T-Mobile

Alternative carriers (MVNOS)

• What is an alternative mobile carrier?
• What are the advantages of going with an alternative carrier?
• How to make sure your phone works on a prepaid alternative carrier
• 8 Important Considerations When Switching To An MVNO
• These are the cheapest data plans you can buy in the U.S.
• Mint SIM vs. Cricket Wireless: Which is better for you?

Three features I’d steal from iOS 11 for the next Android update

iOS 11 is officially out, and there’s nothing wrong with a little feature envy.

The latest update to iOS is out of beta and rolling out to iPhones as of Tuesday this week, and it’s got our friends over at iMore pretty excited. If you need to catch up on what’s new, you can check out Rene Ritchie’s full review:

• iOS 11 Review

While it’s all Android, all the time over here, it’s always worth keeping up with what’s going on with iOS. Apple does a lot of things really well and they deserve full credit for that… and if Google can bring some of the more ingenious features over to Android, well, all the better!

Here are a few of the new iOS features that I would love to see ported over to Android.

Augmented Reality baked into the OS

Since releasing its ARKit for developers back in June, it’s clear that Apple is eyeing Augmented Reality as an important piece in its mobile strategy moving forward as we saw at its latest iPhone launch event. Some highlights from the event included a demo of an AR multiplayer game called The Machines and more practical examples of Augmented Reality such as using your phone to get real-time stats and player information at an MLB game or using a star-gazing app to point out constellations and planets. The aim was to showcase the processing power of the new line of iPhones while also cementing augmented reality as “the next big thing” in the minds of the mainstream public.

Apple’s newfound focus on Augmented Reality and its inclusion as a core feature in iOS 11 should lead to companies and brands incorporating AR features into more apps as the technology reaches mainstream status.

Now I know what you’re probably saying — Google has been dabbling with its own AR platform for Android developers, Tango, for several years now, and even announced their answer to Apple’s software-based ARKit with AR Core in late August. Oh, and then there’s this little game — don’t know if you’ve heard of it — called Pokémon Go that sort of took the world by storm a year ago, so augmented reality on phones isn’t as earth-shattering an idea as Apple would have us think.

Apple focusing on augmented reality should trigger companies and brands to get on the AR bandwagon as it achieves mainstream status.

When Apple’s Phil Schiller took to the stage and said the new iPhones were the first smartphones created for Augmented Reality, he was conveniently ignoring the ASUS ZenFone AR and Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. Of course, it’s hard to blame Schiller for that, as both Tango-ready phones are pretty forgettable — a shame because the experience using Tango is pretty awesome.

But that kind of speaks to the larger issue here. Google’s been working on Augmented Reality via Tango for so long now, yet it still feels like something stuck in beta. The number of Tango-ready phones is embarrassingly small — and Google has yet to release a Tango-ready phone of their own. AR Core shows a ton of promise and eliminates the need to buy a phone with specific hardware for implementing AR features, but there’s still a ton of questions surrounding Google’s future plans for both Tango and AR Core.

Might some of those questions be answered on October 4th? I guess we’ll learn soon enough.

Apple Pay in iMessage

We’re living in an increasingly cashless society and that trend will only continue to grow as more people start using fantastic mobile payment options such as Apple Pay and Android Pay. Apple first introduced Apple Pay in 2014 with the iOS 8.1, and with iOS 11 they’re implementing new functionality that lets you send Apple Pay money transfers to friends or family right from within iMessage.

Now, this peer-to-peer payment service from within iMessage isn’t rolling out with the official iOS 11 release, but it is coming and it’s a feature that sure looks enticing to those of us on the Android side of the fence. Sure, it’s still incredibly convenient for me to open my banking app and wire my friends some money that I owe them or whatnot, but there’s just something so elegant about responding to a friend’s reminder text that you that you owe them $20, and then immediately sending it to them within the conversation as a reply.

I’d love to be able to send and receive money transfers as easy as a text — but no new messaging apps, Google!

It’s a feature that I’d love to see Google bake into Android, but Google would first need to decide which messaging app to build it into. Allo? Android Messages? Hangouts?

Beyond that, there’s also the issue of phone makers getting on board, too. So many Android phones ship with their own OEM-specific messaging apps set as default, along with popular third-party messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and more — it’s just that much easier for Apple to implement this feature into iMessage as but another great feature for the benefit of all iOS users.

Just please, Google, for our own sanity, please don’t release another messaging app just for sending money to friends.

Do Not Disturb turns on automatically when you’re driving

Distracted driving is an issue that, sadly, doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. With younger generations getting smartphones in their hands before reaching the driving age, it’s all too easy to get into the habit of instinctively checking new notifications as soon as they pop up. Younger drivers can build self-confidence in their ability to multi-task, which may ultimately lead to tragic consequences.

With iOS 11, Apple has introduced a feature that will automatically turn on Do Not Disturb if it detects that you’re in a moving vehicle or if you connect to your car’s Bluetooth. Once enabled, all notifications are turned off, and there’s even an option to automatically notify anyone trying to message you that you’re currently behind the wheel. It can also be toggled manually, too, for the times when you’re a passenger in a car.

This is just a really smart feature that should probably be implemented across all smartphones. Distracted driving is a major public safety issue, and the first step towards correcting it is removing the temptation to check your phone. Here’s hoping iOS users make use of this new feature, and Google adds it to its list of features to include in the next major Android update.

What iOS features would you steal?

These are my top three picks for features I’d like to see Google steal for Android P, but what about you? Let us know in the comments!

Apple only allows streaming, not downloading, of upgraded 4K movies

One of the most pleasant surprises out of last week’s Apple event was the announcement that purchased iTunes movies would be automatically upgraded to 4K for free. Well, it turns out it’s not actually that simple. A support document from Apple tells us that users will not be able to download 4K versions of their upgraded movies from iTunes; Ultra HD is limited to streaming only.

However, some HD files will still include HDR and Dolby Vision. Apple says, “You can download a local copy of an HD movie, and you might be able to download HDR and Dolby Vision versions, but you can’t download a 4K version.” And if your Internet speed isn’t fast enough, the quality of video will be downgraded to what your connection can support.

When you think about space limitations for 4K files, it does make sense. Ultra HD files are pretty big and will take up a lot of space on an iPhone or iPad. Additionally, the Apple TV 4K is the only device that can play these files right now — we’re waiting on further clarification from Apple. But at the same time, some people like downloading their movies and streaming locally, off of a computer, rather than relying on a external Internet connection. There may be some logic behind this decision, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a frustrating discovery. Still, it’s a free upgrade, so it’s difficult to complain too much.

Via: 9to5Mac, MacRumors

Source: Apple

The Engadget Podcast Ep 43: Hits, misses and leaks

If last week’s episode was overwhelmingly about Apple, this week’s episode includes some partial respite, in the form of another tech titan: Google. For the first half of this episode, senior editor Chris Velazco and I recap his review of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, which posted on Tuesday. We also get into the Apple Watch Series 3’s LTE connectivity issues, and reminisce about other Apple product launches that haven’t gone quite as planned. Then, in the second half of the episode we talk about the implications of Google buying HTC’s Pixel team, and finish up by running through everything that’s been leaked about Google’s upcoming hardware announcement. (And my, there have been a lot of leaks.) Enjoy!

Relevant links:

• iPhone 8 and 8 Plus review
• Apple Watch 3 struggles to connect to LTE
• Apple TV 4K hands-on
• Google is buying HTC’s Pixel team for $1.1 billion
• Google’s next Chromebook Pixel is reportedly called… the Pixelbook
• Google’s mini Home speaker and Pixel 2 XL leak ahead of October event

Subscribe on Google Play Music

Subscribe on iTunes

Subscribe on Stitcher

Subscribe on Pocket Casts

The iPhone 8 is technically a gigabit LTE phone

At first blush, iFixit’s tech autopsy on the iPhone 8 didn’t reveal anything particularly notable, besides some different screws and a way to remove the glass backing. So far, so meh. But then when it came to the laundry list of chips and modems all crammed inside Apple’s latest smartphones, we noticed something. It looks like the company has made its first gigabit LTE phone, capable of substantially faster download speeds. Or at least, technically, the iPhone 8 might be able to. It’s not quite that simple.

First up, Apple itself didn’t mention the feature in its technical spec sheet. The latest iPhones offer support for more LTE bands and networks (depending on your model) than ever before, but the company certainly doesn’t list that the device supports gigabit LTE.

Samsung’s Galaxy S8, Note 8 phones and even the Essential phone all pack gigabit LTE modems, ready to go. It’ll be a mainstay of nearly all new phones going forward, and Apple’s new phone, available today, starts behind its biggest competitor. Phone carriers haven’t initiated the roll-out of this next-generation LTE. However, all the major US phone networks are all promising to launch gigabit LTE services by the end of 2017.

So what gives? Sources suggest that Apple tapped both Qualcomm and Intel for modems for this year’s iPhones. Because of this, Bloomberg sources, back in June, suggested that any gigabit LTE functionality would be disabled, as some phones would be compatible, those with Qualcomm modems, while others (with Intel modems) wouldn’t. Intel does have a gigabit LTE modem in the works — it apparently wasn’t ready for this round of iPhones.

There’s also some corporate politics here. In the middle of several of legal scuffles, Qualcomm has alleged that Apple would prevent Qualcomm-equipped iPhones from performing at full capacity so they would work just like Intel versions.

There’s still plenty of caveats: iFixit’s teardown is just one phone. We still don’t know if Intel modems do exist in some iPhone 8 models. And even if the iPhone 8 does have gigabit LTE, Apple hasn’t said whether this is enabled in iOS, or if it would do so in future updates. (We have contacted Apple for comment. We’ll update if we hear anything more.)

Apple doesn’t label which phones get which parts, as it draws different components from different companies. If you remember the fuss over which iPhone 6 Plus got the “good” processor a few years ago, there’s a similar story here.

For now, your new iPhone 8 can handle all the current LTE services you’re using. It may not, however, be ready for the next wave of upgraded networks at a time when rivals are primed and ready.

Source: iFixit

‘Vincent’ AI transforms your rough sketch into a Van Gogh

Prisma made AI art style transfer fun for the masses, but a new machine learning app has much bigger ambitions. Applying its vast knowledge of art from the Renaissance to today, “Vincent” can take your simple sketch and transform it a finished painting influenced by Van Gogh, Cézanne and Picasso. “We’re exploring completely uncharted territory –- much of what makes Vincent tick was not known to the machine learning community just a year ago,” said Cambridge Consultants Machine Learning Director Monty Barlow.

Cambridge Consultants used cutting-edge AI tech, including multiple “generative adversarial networks” (GANs) perceptual loss and end-to-end stacked network training to create the AI. During the process, it studied thousands of paintings from the Renaissance until modern times, spanning abstract, cubist, impressionist and numerous other art movements.

“By successfully combining different machine learning approaches … we’ve created something hugely interactive, taking the germ of a sketched idea and allowing the history of human art to run with it,” said Barlow.

The idea was to teach it where color, contrast and texture tend to change, so that it can figure out what the outlines of your sketches mean and successfully fill them in. To use it, you just draw directly on the screen using a stylus, and Vincent will interpret the lines and fill in the rest. “Unlike typical machine learning approaches which simply use mathematics to generate approximations of art, Vincent is able to take the human input given and produce a relevant, finished artwork,” the company explains.

Judging by the demo in the above video, the artist can then further refine the piece after Vincent has done a pass, and the AI will incorporate the changes. It’s more successful with some sketches than others, but in one case transformed a simple criss-cross sketch into something that truly resembles a Kandinsky abstract.

The multi-AI approach can be applied to more than just art, Cambridge Consultant believes, holding promise for autonomous vehicles, digital security and other areas that need sophisticated imaging. “What we’ve built would have been unthinkable to the original deep learning pioneers,” said Barlow.

Source: Cambridge Consulting

The West Coast is finally getting an earthquake early warning system

On September 19th, 1985, Mexico City was devastated by an 8.0 magnitude earthquake that killed as many as 30,000 people and leveled buildings across the city, including the 12-story Hospital Juárez, one of the oldest hospital institutions in Mexico. In response, the government set about creating the world’s first earthquake warning system. One that, when an 8.1 tremblor set in on the city September 7th of this year, and a second 7.1 less than two weeks later, saved potentially tens of thousands of lives by giving them more than a minute’s notice to head to safety. So why doesn’t America have one along its Pacific coast as well? Turns out we almost do.

#AlertaSismica Informe @cires_ac por #sismo 07/Sep/2017 23:49:54 #sasmex #TenemosSismohttps://t.co/DBnfzGLPTahttps://t.co/7CjuHUqRB8 pic.twitter.com/avPFRpSnhq

— AlertaSísmica SASMEX (@SASMEX) September 8, 2017

Mexico City had its early warning system, despite being the first of its kind, up and running just six years after the ’85 quake. In 1987, the local government installed accelerometers throughout the city. In 1989, the Center of Instrumentation and Seismic Record (CIRES), which is charged with operating the system, began work on the public notification half. And, in 1991, the Mexico City Seismic Alert System (SAS), came online with 12 sensors spread along a portion of the Guerrero Coast. Placed there, the SAS provides a 100-second head start to residents before the ground starts moving.

When a 7.4 magnitude tremor shook the Oaxaca region in 1999, CIRES was once again called upon to devise an early warning system. Just four years later, the 37-sensor Seismic Alert System for the City of Oaxaca (SASO) came online in 2003. Two years after that, the federal Mexican government combined the two systems into a singular earthquake alarm, dubbed the Mexican Seismic Alert System (SASMEX).

The system continued to grow in 2010, when an additional 64 sensors were spread throughout the seismic regions of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán and Puebla, while the existing seismic probes were modernized and monitoring stations equipped with solar power sources. In 2013, the government launched a smartphone app to more quickly warn citizens of impending dangers, which was followed in 2015 by Mexico City simply wiring the system up to its 8,200 public loudspeaker array.

The system detects earthquakes by sensing the initial, faster moving and less destructive P-waves generated by a seismic event which precede the stronger, more damaging S-waves. Once a sensor picks up a rumbling, it (and nearby sensors) transmit that data to a processing center which confirms the shaking is real and issues the alert. How much time people have to react depends on by how much the alert transmission beats the arrival of the S-wave. SInce digital transmissions are effectively instantaneous but seismic waves travel at a pokey 0.5 to 3 miles per second — essentially, the speed of sound through rock — seismologists can easily calculate its estimated time of arrival.

SInce the SASMEX has come online, numerous other shake-prone nations have followed suit. Japan, for example, has the Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system. If two or more of the 4,235 seismometers that dot the island nation detect a P-wave the alarm is raised for the affected prefectures through TV, radio, and automated cellular carrier alert. Taiwan’s early warning system works effectively the same way.

So these systems clearly are not only effective but also save lives, so why has America, “leader of the free world”, dragged its feet so much in developing such a system for the West Coast? As usual, it comes down to funding priorities. The American people aren’t generally willing to pay to be protected from something they’re not scared of, explained Dr. Robert de Groot, ShakeAlert National Coordinator for Communication, Education, and Outreach with the US Geological Survey. For the likes of Mexico and Japan, “the early warning systems were developed after particularly devastating earthquakes,” De Groot said.

The last magnitude 9 earthquake to strike the Pacific Northwest was in 1700. The last “big one” in Southern California, a 7.8 magnitude shaker, hit back in 1957. The public, De Groot pines, “they don’t see [early warning systems] as being a thing that is important, that there are other more important places to put resources and time.” However, those of us who lived through
Loma Prieta and Northridge would likely disagree, as would FEMA.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates that earthquakes cost the US around $5.3 billion annually, on average, with 77 percent of the damage occurring along the West Coast and 60 percent happening in California alone. What’s more, FEMA figures over the next 30 years, California has a nearly-certain 99.7 percent chance of being hit with a shaker stronger than 6.7 and the Pacific Northwest has a 10 percent chance of repeating the 8.0 -9.0 megaquake of 1700.

That’s not to say that the USGS is sitting idly by. Quite the opposite in fact. For the past decade the USGS has been working in partnership with the CAGS, CIT, and the Universities of Berkeley, Oregon and Washington (as well as numerous private organizations) to develop a similar system. They call it ShakeAlert.

This EEW began transmitting real-time warnings to select beta users in California back in 2012. By 2016, it had been integrated with seismometers in the Pacific Northwest and just this last April, the ShakeAlert “production prototype” went live across the entire West Coast from the Mexican border clear on up to Canada. Unfortunately, the system is still at half-capacity. “Currently we are looking at building a total of 1675 stations across three states and we’re only at about 750 or so,” De Groot explained.

Even working at partial capacity, ShakeAlert has begun attracting attention from industry. Power companies in Oregon have linked into the system so that command systems can be protected and pipeline valves be closed. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in California uses it to slow or stop trains once the shaking starts, to minimize the chances of derailments. “”Safety is BART’s number one priority,” BART spokesperson Jim Allison told the Daily Californian. “The earthquake early warning system could enable BART to stop or slow trains before earthquake shaking starts, preventing potential injuries.”

High rise office buildings can leverage these warnings to stop elevators at the nearest floor while hospitals can halt delicate surgeries and protect critical infrastructure before the S-waves strike. And as the Industrial Internet of Things continues to mature, the scope and variety of automated responses to these signals will only expand. Assuming, the Trump administration stops fiddling with the USGS purse strings.

The ShakeAlert system was supposed to come out of beta at the start of 2018. However, citing the need for “sensible and rational reductions and making hard choices to reach a balanced budget by 2027”, the administration attempted to cleave $137.8 million from the agency’s budget which would have decimated the program.

Luckily, there are some adults left in Washington willing to do right by their constituents. “We have made too much progress on the earthquake warning system to stop now,” Rep. Kevin Calbert (R-Corona) told the LA Times. “And it’s certainly important to my state.”

Rep Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) was quick to agree. “”This investment has the potential to save lives,” Schiff said in a statement. “In rebuffing the president’s request to eliminate funding for the system, Congress is showing its strong support for the system will not wane.” In the end, Congress has set the USGS budget for 2018 at $1 billion, just $46 million less than it received this fiscal year, which means that ShakeAlert will operate for at least a year.

That’s not to say that it will be available to every west coast resident as soon as the clocks strike 12:01 on January first. The initial public rollout will be far more modest, most likely first coming to Los Angeles. The city’s mayor, Eric Garcetti, told the Times that he’d have “an earthquake early warning system to every corner of this city — in schools, at businesses, even on your smartphone” by the end of 2018.

Given that Southern California is home to more than 200 tectonic fault lines and the highest density of seismic sensors on the west coast, it would make an ideal testbed with which to work out the system’s kinks before expanding to other metropolitan areas. That said, don’t fret if you live out in the burbs or beyond, De Groot assured Engadget that the alert system will operate at the same speed in rural areas, where sensors are around 24 miles from one another, as they do in urban centers, where they’re around 6 miles apart, thanks to the miracles of modern telecommunications technology.

Moving forward, De Groot concedes that the biggest challenge (besides getting enough money to keep the lights on) is minimizing the number of false alarms the system throws up. It already attempts to validate these alerts by requiring signals from at least four sensors but the system is still a work in progress. “The Earth is such a complex system that there are a lot of variables that could influence how the system works and we’re trying to work those out,” he said. “It’s part of the scientific development process but we’re getting better at it every day.”