The federal government’s COVID Alert exposure notification app has been downloaded over six million times since its launch.
COVID Alert was recently updated to be compatible with the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus. The Canadian Digital Service (CDS) says that the app is now available to download on over 97 percent of phones in Canada.
The CDS notes that COVID Alert will be continuously re-assessed and updated based on public health guidance, user research, testing and updates to the underlying framework by Apple and Google.
COVID Alert has hit 6 million downloads.
With the newest update, #COVIDAlert is now compatible with over 97% of phones in Canada (including iPhone 5S, 6, and 6 Plus).
Download the app today: https://t.co/3tmSGGyDy5 pic.twitter.com/qICL4AAeke
— Canadian Digital Service (CDS) (@CDS_GC) January 12, 2021
“We encourage all Canadians to download and use COVID Alert today, as one tool to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our communities and keep ourselves and each other safe,” a spokesperson from the CDS recently told MobileSyrup.
COVID Alert is currently fully functional in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and Prince Edward Island. Most notably, the app is not fully functional in British Columbia and Alberta.
Although COVID Alert can be downloaded across the country, other regions don’t provide one-time verification keys with positive tests, which are integral to how COVID Alert operates.
You can download COVID Alert from the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store.