NHS Covid-19 app: 10m downloads – and lots of questions

The federal government says greater than 10 million folks throughout England and Wales have downloaded the NHS Covid-19 app since its launch on 24 September.

The Division for Well being and Social Care has emphasised that utilizing it’s voluntary.

It additionally says the steerage the app points about whether or not to self-isolate or get a check just isn’t enforceable by regulation.

The app itself could look easy, however it has thrown up plenty of questions on the way it works and what its limits are.

Here is our try to reply a few of your queries:

A characteristic of the app is its capacity to scan a QR barcode to log in at a pub, restaurant or different location – a substitute for really handing over your contact particulars to that enterprise on a paper log or web site (although in Wales you continue to must do each).

However folks have seen that whilst you can log in you can’t sign off, and even if you happen to quickly depart the app thinks you’re nonetheless there till midnight until you log in some other place.

The purpose nevertheless of the QR scan is simply to register your presence at that location somewhat than your proximity to somebody infectious, which is registered by way of the Bluetooth contact-tracing characteristic.

If the situation is later recognized as a virus hotspot then an alert could also be despatched out to anybody who scanned a QR code there – to not self-isolate, however to be looking out for any signs of the virus.

However you can’t be alerted that any person arrived within the pub hours after you left, they usually later examined constructive, as a result of your telephones couldn’t have been bodily shut to one another on the identical time.

However some are asking why there is not a code for a destructive consequence, particularly as a self-isolation countdown begins as quickly as somebody registers that they’ve signs.

There appear to be a few solutions. Should you’ve been advised to self-isolate as a result of you’ve been involved with an contaminated individual, then you’re supposed to take action no matter whether or not you check destructive your self.

In case you are the doubtless contaminated individual, then no person shall be notified by way of the app with out a constructive consequence. Nevertheless, it does imply it’s important to reside with the timer because it can’t be de-activated – however as we stated, adhering to this isn’t legally enforceable.

Then there’s the truth that the intention is that you just now prepare your check by way of the app after reporting signs. On this case, the outcomes – constructive, destructive or void, (which implies a retest is required) – shall be registered robotically within the app with none must enter a code.

If you first obtain the app it asks for a part of your postcode. You then get a message on the homescreen telling you what the chance degree in your space is.

Why does not this variation once you transfer someplace – as an example when a pupil leaves residence to go to college?

Proper at the start of the app’s growth, privateness campaigners expressed concern in regards to the authorities monitoring folks – and a promise was made that location monitoring wouldn’t be a characteristic of this app.

There’s nevertheless a means of adjusting that postcode with out reinstalling the app. Go to “About this app”, then “Handle my information” and you’ll then be capable to edit your postcode.

Quite a lot of folks – specifically these with iPhones sooner than the 6S which went on sale in 2015 – are discovering that they’re unable to put in the app on their cellphone.

This isn’t as a consequence of a choice by the app’s builders however is a limitation imposed by Apple and Google. They’ve designed the toolkit on which this and lots of different contact-tracing apps world wide are based mostly – they usually have decided that older telephones wouldn’t be appropriate for operating the expertise behind the app.

Quite a lot of folks have reported getting notifications about publicity to the virus after which not with the ability to discover out what they should do.

“These are default messages from Apple and Google. There is no such thing as a have to be involved if you happen to miss or overlook them, they’re simply seen to remind you that the performance is on and dealing. You are presently not in a position to flip off these default Apple and Google notifications.

“Vital messages from the NHS Covid-19 app will at all times be seen to you from contained in the app.”