How it works
The app is part of our contact tracing operation. It uses Bluetooth and anonymous IDs to log:
- any phone you are in close contact with that also has the app
- the distance between your phone and another app users' phone
- the length of time your phone is near another app users' phone
Every 2 hours the app downloads a list of anonymous IDs. These have been shared with the HSE by other people using the app who have tested positive for coronavirus.
If you have been closer than 2 metres for more than 15 minutes with any of these phones you'll get an alert that you are a close contact.
The app does this work in the background. This means you can use your phone as normal.
Bluetooth
You'll be asked to give the app permission to use Bluetooth on your phone. Bluetooth needs to remain on for contact tracing to work.
The app uses Bluetooth low energy (LE) to estimate the distance and time between app users. It has been designed to make the best use of this technology.
It will be able to accurately tell if you have spent 15 minutes or longer near someone who tested positive for the virus. Most of the time it will also give an accurate estimate of the distance between you and this other app user. But it's not perfect. No method of contact tracing is 100% perfect.
That’s why we use two methods of contact tracing - our contact tracing team and the COVID Tracker app. This will improve contact tracing, help slow the spread of the virus, and protect you and others.