Google-Apple Covid-19 Exposure Notification Rolls Out in India, Aarogya Setu Still Not Compatible

In April, Google and Apple joined hands to launch a COVID -19 contract tracking technology and called it Exposure Notifications. It turns out that it is finally available for Android and iOS users in India. In particular, users must download the application from their public health authority, which is Aarogya Setu, to use exposure notifications. Though the Aarogya Setu app does not yet support Google's exposure notifications.

There are some settings and requirements that Aarogya Setu must meet to be compatible with the Google API. Google is strict to the fact that its API will only work with public health authority applications. Countries like Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and others are already using this API.

If Aarogya Setu becomes exposure notification compliant, this is all you would like to know:

How to activate Exposure Notifications?

To allow exposure notifications to do their job, download the Aarogya Setu app on your mobile, you need to turn on Bluetooth and phone location. As per Google, "the system uses the location to scan Bluetooth signals, and it does not collect or track your location."

How do exposure notifications work?

Fundamentally, when you turn on exposure notifications on your phone via Aarogya Setu, it will send random IDs to nearby phones (since they have also activated this setting). In this way, your phone will exchange and store a large number of IDs during the day. If any of those stored IDs test positive on COVID-19, the user will be notified accordingly. In particular, these random IDs change every 10-20 minutes to maintain user privacy and are stored for 14 days.

How to disable exposure notifications?

Google has mentioned that you can opt not to use exposure notifications and opt for voluntarily if you wish. If you change your mind, you can also choose not to participate as well. You can also uninstall Aarogya Setu or go to Phone Settings> Google> COVID-19 exposure notifications and turn it off with a tap.

What happens if you come in contact with a COVID-19 patient?

If someone reports in the Aarogya Setu application that they tested positive for the virus, the system will share "the day the contact occurred," "how long the contact lasted," and "the Bluetooth signal strength of that contact." In this way, all contacts will be notified of the next steps.

In case you report that you have tested positive for the virus, you can choose not to share that random ID so that users who have entered your contact can be alerted. Google ensures that your identity will not be shared with other users.