Google announced today that Android users in Ukraine will receive air raid notifications straight on their phones before assaults are predicted near them.
The company claimed it's working with the Ukrainian government to bring out an alert system for Android phones in the country in an updated blog post. XDA-Developers was the first to notice the feature.
"Tragically, millions of people in Ukraine now rely on airstrike alerts to try to get to safety," Google said in the announcement.
According to Dave Burke, vice president of engineering for Android, the Android pings will be based on the signals already being issued by the Ukrainian government and will be adapted from a system intended for rapidly sending earthquake warnings.
Google has already highlighted the Ukrainian Alarm app on the Google Play Store, which sends air raid notifications to Ukrainians living in areas where alarms are active. Burke says the new notifications system will be rolled out to all Android phones in Ukraine over the next several days.
Google has reduced its involvement in Russia since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including halting all ad sales and withdrawing Russian state-funded media apps from Google Play in Europe.
"The Russian invasion of Ukraine is both a tragedy and a humanitarian disaster in the making," Google wrote on Mar. 1.
It's difficult to say how much money the company will lose as a result of the move, but it demonstrates how, in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the online world has become a secondary battleground between Russia and the West.
Google's halt comes after Twitter and Snapchat both implemented blanket ad prohibitions in Russia. Google had previously barred Russian state media outlets like Russia Today from using the company's adtech to monetize their websites and YouTube channels. Smaller restrictions and blocks have been collecting over the last week, forming a digital iron curtain between Russia and the West.
The move comes after Google was chastised by Russia's communications authority Roskomnadzor for airing advertisements about the Ukraine conflict. According to The Wall Street Journal, Roskomnadzor stated ads on Google's platforms were targeting Russian viewers and"aimed at creating a distorted perception of current events." The commercials conveyed "false political information" and might incite unrest, according to Roskomnadzor.
The company said it is aiming to "support people in Ukraine through our products, defend against cybersecurity threats, surface high-quality, reliable information and ensure the safety and security of our colleagues and their families in the region."
