All android users all over the world can now know If they have been exposed to people who are coronavirus positive.
This is because Android Phone developers have added a new feature called COVID-19 Exposure Notifications.
The feature can notify people whether they have been near someone who reported having covid-19.
Moreover, the date, duration and signal strength associated with a covid-19 exposure will be shared with the app.
How it works
When you turn on Exposure Notifications within an app from your location’s government public health authority, your phone shares random IDs with other nearby phones that have also turned on the Exposure System.
Throughout the day, your phone and phones around you will exchange random IDs through Bluetooth.
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If someone reports having covid-19 and their ID is stored on your phone, the app will notify you of the next steps to take.
This will enable the app to anonymously notify other people about possible contacts with covid-19 patients.
Moreover, the random IDs will automatically be deleted after 14 days.
How to set it up
First download an app from your region’s government public health authority.
To find out if an app is available, check with your government.
Then Go to settings on your phone. You will find the Google option. Click on it and you will see the COVID-19 Exposure Notifications option.
In order to turn the feature on, just turn on your bluetooth and location.
If the feature learns you’ve come into contact with a positive person, they will tell you when the contact happened, how long the contact lasted and the bluetooth signal strength of that contact.
Moreover, the Exposure Notification itself does not use your location or share other users’ identities with the app, Google or Apple.
