A voluntary smartphone tool is now available for Californians to track possible exposure to the coronavirus, thanks to the combined efforts of California, Google, and Apple. The application is called CA Notify, and it works by using Bluetooth to track proximity between users.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced the app on December 7th, three days ahead of the launch, saying,
“Two of California’s best known headquartered technology, Google and Apple have joined together in an effort to provide for exposure notification — not contact tracing, but exposure notification.”
In a rare turn of events, California is late to the party for this technology, as nearly 20 other states already have mobile applications based on the notification technology of Google and Apple. The technology is desperately needed, as hospitals across Los Angeles and Orange County report off-the-chart numbers of patients and call for help from nurses and doctors to aid them in their efforts.
How it Works
Users who opt-in and test positive can use the CA Notify app to anonymously send a code to users that may have potentially been exposed to the virus over the past 14 days. The tool does not track people’s identities or locations, but rather, it utilizes Bluetooth wireless signals to detect when two phones are within 6 feet of each other for at least 15 minutes. It’s important to note that how quickly one receives a notification depends on when the other person received a positive result. Additionally, it depends on how quickly that person consented to activate notifications in CA Notify.
The encounters are temporarily logged in a way that doesn’t reveal a person’s identity or geographic location.
Apple Version and Android Version
Google users will be able to download the application ‘CA Notify’ to their Android phones from the Google Play store. Meanwhile, Apple users activate the tool in their iPhone settings (iOS software must be version 13.7 or later).
iPhone users, to activate CA Notify:
- Go to Settings
- Scroll down to Exposure Notifications
- Turn on Exposure Notifications
- Select United Stats>California
Private and Secure
Those concerned about privacy and security need not worry, as Newsom assured Golden State residents by saying that California Notify is a 100% secure, private application. Hopefully, this application will assuage the ever-worsening spike in COVID-19 cases as the virus continues to plague hospitals and medical professionals across California in overwhelming numbers. This app, coupled with vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, are all vital tools in the fight against the dreaded coronavirus.
Contributor, designer & admin for JohnHart Gazette.
