According to TechCrunch, Xiaomi told Mi Developer conference attendees the feature is the first of its kind globally. However, as with most new technologies, there are prior examples. Following the deadly Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011, Apple added native earthquake alerts to iPhones in Japan. In the US, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) tested its Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system last year, which works on both iOS and Android devices. Xiaomi says it's willing to share the tech with other companies.

Correction 10/20 10:45AM ET: An earlier version of this article stated that Xiaomi's earthquake warning feature could work without a data connection. A spokesperson for the company has clarified that it does need a working internet connection.