that’s the official coronavirus contact tracing app

A few weeks ago, the government announced the development of the official Spanish application for contact tracing due to the coronavirus pandemic. A pilot programme was subsequently announced on the island of La Gomera, which would begin yesterday, as it finally did. A pilot program to test Radar COVID, the app that was sent to Apple and Google stores and that it’s already available.

At least in the Google Play Store, from where it can be downloaded in the form of early access at the expense of the Government to complete the pilot in San Sebastian de La Gomera and decide whether to launch it definitively throughout the country. We accessed the app and tested itand here’s how it works.

This is how Radar COVID works

The privacy policy of Radar COVID, of obligatory acceptance if we want to continue

As we said, the app has appeared before in the Android store than in the iOS storeWe assume that because of a question of speed in reviewing and approving it, and we have had access to it. As soon as it is installed and opened, the application takes advantage of the startup screens to describe its operation while alerting about the pilot program being carried out in La Gomera.

After this first explanation, and the mandatory acceptance of the terms of use and privacy policy to continue (in which we are explained that the app is anonymous and of voluntary use), we now move on to the activation of Bluetooth in order to be able to send and receive the random codes that the app generates, and which help to compose the list of our risk contacts. A list to be able to warn those involved in the event that any member of it turns out to be positive for coronavirus.

The app alerts us to our level of exposure to the COVID tracked

Once all this is done, the first thing that Radar COVID offers us is a little message about our level of exposure to COVID since our contact list is empty at the moment. It should be noted that the active tracking can be stopped at any time, and that we can take the installed app without it being working. Remember that the government places special emphasis on the fact that the app is for voluntary use.

The app couldn’t be simpler and we don’t even have a settings menu in it. All we can do with it is turn it on or off to issue and receive codes from other users, and we will be responsible for notifying them that we have tested positive for COVID-19 so that the system can warn those who may be affected. No more, no less.

To notify a positive, we will have to enter a code that will provide us with Health

To notify the positive we have to enter the code sent to us by the relevant health departmentWe have also been working on the development of a new vaccine, so that we do not register false or mistaken infections and avoid unnecessary trauma to the rest of the people involved. Once the code has been entered, the app asks us again if we are sure we want to notify it, and once we verify it, the code will be registered in the server in charge of the rest of the notification process.

“Your random IDs from the last 14 days will serve to warn people who have been near you that they may have been exposed to COVID-19. Your identity will not be shared with anyone.

As we can see, codes will be stored in the phone for 14 days onlyThe period set by the government in which we could show symptoms of being infected. If we wish, however, we can decide to delete the IDs from our contact list from the settings. The procedure is to go to Google > COVID-19 Exposure Notifications, provided that our system already has this functionality active.

COVID Radar

• Price: Free
• Download it at: Google Play
• Download it at: App Store (pending)