The Government of Canada has updated its COVID Alert exposure notification app for iPhone users.
According to the version history, COVID Alert has “added new French URL for the Ontario Test Results website,” while also “added details to the privacy policy about IP addresses and about links from the app to websites.”
There is now also an “updated privacy policy link in the App Store from a temporary page to canada.ca,” to go with unnamed “small layout fixes”. Aside from these changes, the app still looks and feels the same.
COVID Alert for iOS (and Android) launched back in late July and currently is supported by the Ontario government. However, any iPhone user can still download the app and get notified if they were exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
The app works by allowing your iPhone or Android device perform digital “handshakes” with other devices, in the system background, using Bluetooth. No GPS data, user information such as age, phone number or address is collected by the app, which is open source and also has been vetted by both national and provincial privacy commissioners.
If someone tests positive for COVID-19, they can choose to inform others within COVID Alert, only after obtaining a one-time use public key. COVID Alert uses the Exposure Notification framework from Apple and Google and has exceeded 2 million downloads in Canada.
Starting with iOS 13.7 (currently in beta), Apple’s Exposure Notification framework will be integrated into the iPhone (it will be opt-in) and users will be able to get exposure notifications without the need to download COVID Alert.
Click here to download COVID Alert for iOS in the App Store. It currently ranks as the #1 app in the Medical category in the App Store.
