QuakeInfo Is the Native iOS Earthquake Tracker the USGS App Never Shipped

What it is

QuakeInfo is an indie iOS app that surfaces real-time earthquake data from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) and international seismic networks in a native Apple-platform interface. Core features: a tile-based feed of recent earthquakes worldwide with filters by magnitude, distance from user, time range, and region; a map view with color-coded severity; customizable push notifications for magnitude thresholds in user-selected areas; iOS Live Activities that keep a significant quake visible on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island; home-screen widgets in three sizes; Apple Watch complications; and a Pro tier that unlocks extended historical timeline views, additional data layers (tsunami advisories, shake intensity maps), and an ad-free experience for a $2.99 one-time in-app purchase.

Pricing: Free core app with optional $2.99 one-time Pro upgrade. No subscription.

What's interesting

This is the earthquake app the USGS should have shipped. 9to5Mac's Indie App Spotlight specifically contrasted QuakeInfo against the official USGS web experience, which is web-only, desktop-oriented, and lacks iOS-native surfaces. QuakeInfo takes the same public USGS ComCat data and wraps it in Widgets, Live Activities, the Dynamic Island, Apple Watch complications, and push notifications tuned to the user's location.

Live Activities for earthquakes is a legitimately useful platform feature that most apps apply to sports scores and food delivery. A magnitude 6+ quake near the user automatically pins to the Lock Screen until acknowledged, with updated aftershock counts and shake-intensity readings as the USGS revises its bulletin. For people in seismically active regions (West Coast U.S., Japan, Chile, Italy, Turkey, Indonesia), the Live Activity is the first native iPhone surface that treats quakes as first-class alerts.

Apple Watch complications mean at-a-glance quake awareness without opening the phone. The complication shows the most recent significant quake magnitude and distance. For researchers, emergency responders, and cautious residents in active regions, this is a legitimate productivity win.

Free-plus-one-time-$2.99 pricing is the right model. No subscription, no ads in Pro, and the core app is genuinely usable without upgrading. Compared against ad-heavy weather-plus-quake apps or $4.99/month data subscriptions, QuakeInfo's price is in line with the App Store's strongest indie apps.

Widgets across three sizes means users can tune home-screen real estate: a small widget for magnitude alerts, a medium for a list of recent quakes, and a large for a mini map. Tap-through opens the full app to the selected quake detail.

What's missing or unverified

Data is only as current as the USGS and partner feeds. Major earthquakes are typically posted within 2-10 minutes of occurrence; very recent sub-magnitude-4 quakes in less-instrumented regions can lag by longer. QuakeInfo does not originate its own seismic data.

No offline mode beyond cached data. In a real emergency (major quake with cell/data outage), the app cannot fetch new information. This is a USGS-data-source limitation rather than an app design flaw.

Alerts are useful but can be noisy if thresholds are too low. Users new to the app should start at magnitude 5.0+ worldwide or magnitude 3.0+ within 200 km to avoid overwhelming notifications during active swarms.

No Android version. QuakeInfo is iOS/iPadOS/watchOS only; Android users looking for equivalent experiences should consider the EMSC-CSEM LastQuake app (free, multi-platform) or MyShake from UC Berkeley.

Limited community features. The app is an alert-and-data surface; it does not yet include community shake reports (USGS "Did You Feel It?" integration is on the roadmap per the developer's website) or discussion threads. For users who want social context around a quake, other apps add that layer.

Pro tier is a simple upgrade rather than a feature-parity gate. The free tier covers 90% of the use cases; Pro adds nice-to-haves rather than unlocking fundamentals.

Who it's for

Residents of seismically active regions who want native iOS earthquake alerts beyond what the USGS or default iPhone notifications provide. Emergency responders, journalists, and geoscience professionals who need at-a-glance data on Apple Watch and Lock Screen. Travel-conscious iPhone users in earthquake-prone destinations. Indie-app enthusiasts who prefer one-time-purchase tools over subscription software.

Not for: Android users, buyers who want in-app community features, or users who need sub-minute alert latency (official public alert systems like ShakeAlert do this; QuakeInfo piggybacks on USGS post-event bulletins).

Verdict

QuakeInfo at free-plus-$2.99-Pro is the iOS earthquake app that should exist. Native Widgets, Live Activities, Watch complications, and Dynamic Island integration together deliver the platform experience the USGS web app cannot. Against the free USGS web experience and paid subscription-style alternatives, QuakeInfo wins on native integration and price; it loses on community features and Android coverage. For iPhone users in active seismic regions, this is the right pick.