500,000 download new app — but it won’t work on older mobile phones

‘You will not be missed from test and protect’

A CONTACT tracing app designed to track the spread of Covid-19 has been downloaded by 500,000 Scots in a single day.

The Scottish Government yesterday launched the Protect Scotland app, which alerts users when they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus.

Using bluetooth technology, Apple and Android devices can link up and do not require any personal information, such as name or age.

However, it has emerged thousands of people will be unable to access the technology because their mobile phone does not support the app.

This is because the app will only work on Apple iPhones with an operating system released after 2015. On Android, they must have the operating system 6.0, which was also released in 2015. According to experts, this is not something the Scottish Government can fix – as it has been dictated by Apple and Google in development of the technology. Fears were also raised over ‘false positives’ such as the bluetooth picking up other users through the walls of houses or flats.

Asked about the issue yesterday, Miss Sturgeon said that while she was encouraging everyone to download the app if possible, the Government’s entire test and protect system is not based on it.

She said: ‘We’ve built it from the bottom up using tried and tested approaches in our public health teams and the app is an enhancement to that.

‘So if you don’t have a phone, if you don’t use the app, you will not be missed from our test and protect system.’

The app does not store details on an individual or their location but uses encrypted, anonymous codes exchanged between smartphones to determine close contacts with people who test positive.

A close contact is defined as someone who has been within two metres for at least 15 minutes.

If a person tests positive for Covid-19, they will be sent a unique code to their mobile and, with their permission, the app’s data will then be sent to a server so close contacts also using the app can be notified by text and advised to self-isolate.

Designed by software developers NearForm for NHS Scotland, the app uses the same technology as the Irish and Northern Irish proximity tracing apps. According to experts, there is a chance that the app could result in false positive results – with people messaged despite not meeting the criteria of being at risk.

This includes through the wall of a house or flat due to the bluetooth technology operating on a set distance. However, they have claimed that the chances of this happening are ‘very low’. They have also argued that similar false positive issues can occur with the manual test and trace process.

According to officials, the mobile phone application cost £300,000 to develop.

Speaking yesterday, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘This will allow people to self-isolate quickly if they are exposed to the virus, reducing the risk of them infecting others.

‘We all have a part to play in suppressing the virus and downloading the app – alongside other vital measures such as following hygiene and physical distancing guidance – will help protect you, your family and your community.’