Coronavirus Contact Tracing Settings For Android, And How They'll Switch On [UPDATE]

Today Google and Apple revealed bits and pieces of their plans for COVID-19 contract tracing in Android and iOS settings. For Android, the process of getting to contact tracing settings will be relatively straightforward. Users will to go to Settings – Google – Services – COVID-19 Exposure Notifications. This set of features was not yet active in Android at the time this article was scheduled to be released.

UPDATE: While the images above and settings path described below will, ideally, be what ALL Android users see in an update later this month, it now seems more likely that different communities around the world will see different UI. Google and Apple released a join statement today that suggested that "Since Google and Apple will not be building the apps, these updates are a part of the companies' continued efforts to support developers building these apps on behalf of the health authorities." Google and Apple provided imagery of app interfaces that developers could, potentially, utilize to create their own apps for contact tracing apps.

Per the release, Google and Apple suggested that access to the code they've created could be used on apps "created by or for a government public health authority and they can only be used for COVID-19 response efforts." Google and Apple also suggested that the API "will be restricted to one app per county to promote high user adoption and avoid fragmentation."

Once Google sends the update to Android devices around the world here in May, 2020, we'll see what's called "COVID-19 Exposure Notifications." This will appear in the standard Android settings access app, starting at Settings, down to the menu item called Google, then to Services, then to COVID-19 Exposure Notifications.

In this settings menu, users will be able to work with Exposure Checks. Users will have the option to flip Exposure Notifications on or off, and to "Delete random IDs." You'll have an ID associated with your phone and you'll be able to delete that ID whenever you like, otherwise they'll be randomized every 14 days, per Google's release this week.

Contact Tracing is a program that tracks the known movements of individuals that have tested positive for COVID-19. Once a person tests positive, all other people that have potentially been within transmission distance of said person in the recent past will be notified. This system is ideally enacted as anonymously as possible.

Per the screengrabs shared by Google this week, "Your phone needs to use Bluetooth to securely collect and share random IDs with other phones that are nearby. Random IDs are automatically deleted after 14 days."

"Device location needs to be on to detect Bluetooth devices near you, however, COVID-19 Exposure Notifications don't use device location," said the screengrab shared by Google this week. "The app can notify you if you've been near someone who has reported a positive COVID-19 test result."

This service will apparently be able to provide "the date, duration, and signal strength associated with an exposure," that'll be "shared with the app" courtesy of local public health services.

This might well be the first time Google and Apple have ever really, truly used their hold over the vast majority of smartphones in the world for the greater good of humanity. With contact tracing, users will be (anonymously) tracked via Bluetooth and notified if they've potentially come in contact with someone who's been diagnosed positive for COVID-19.

The goal of this contact tracing system is to allow the world to be more conscious of when and where and how COVID-19 is spread. If a person has some idea of whether they've had the potential to be exposed to COVID-19, they'll be less likely to spread that exposure on to other people. A person will be more likely to get tested (or just WANT to get tested) if they're made aware of their potential for exposure.

Again, these settings and this tracking will be available some time inside of May, if Google's plans go as they've suggested. Many, hopefully MOST phones released in the last few years will have the ability to run this contact tracing tech. We'll let you know when the updates start to roll out – stay tuned, and get ready to switch it ON!