The Department of Health and Social Welfare (DHSC) said the app had six million downloads on its first day of launch, and since then it has risen to 10 million by Sunday afternoon, but some people in the Northeast have not been able to do so. To download.
Due to the needs of the app, people with older phones across the Northeast and across the country could not download it.
The NHS Kovid-19 app is currently supported on Apple iOS versions 13.5 and higher and Android version Marshmallow (v6.0) and above.
It requires specific technology – the Exposure Notification Framework developed by Apple and Google – is only available in these versions.
But members of the public do not have easy access to information on local cases, input test data, or use the timer feature to calculate self-isolation periods.
An unnamed Northeast resident said: “I’m in the Apple Store to see the new NHS Kovid-19 app. My problem is I have an older phone with iOS9 and can not download the app.
“I’m on universal credit and can’t buy a new phone. There must be a lot of people in a situation like me.”
But Darlington MP Peter Gibson argues that the track and trace app is only part of the “armor” needed to defeat the coronavirus.
He said: “The track and trace is not designed as a silver bullet, it gives us another tool in the box for what it does.
“I want everyone in Darlington to download this new app as soon as possible, to protect themselves and their loved ones.
“Obviously some people have old phones and can’t, but then there’s the manual process, which gives your details on the bar and the restaurant.
“The app only runs out on weekdays. Think about the Facebook and Twitter apps, they are constantly updated. I’m sure it’s great too.
“At this point, wash your hands, cover your face and follow the social distance.”
Fixed an issue where people who had already tested the app on NHS testing sites could not log their positive or negative results.
The Department of Health and Social Welfare said it was continuing to explore opportunities to improve the features of the app, which runs on 87 per cent of Android phones and iPhones in the UK.
The app alerts users if they are in close contact with those who have tested positive for coronavirus and provide risk alerts based on postcodes.
Allows people to scan QR codes to check in at application platforms and to book tests if features.
It logs the time an app user spends with other app users and the distance between them.
It then alerts people around each other who test positive for Kovid-19 – even if they do not know each other – and advises self-isolation.
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