NHS contact tracing app

[alan_m]

Name any piece of software sponsored by Uk.gov that has actually worked properly within 5 years of being released.

[alan_m]

Phones of a few years old will not have an easily installable upgrade to the latest version of the OS.

[alan_m]

How long before the memory on the phone becomes full? One commute into London and you may pass thousands of people.

[Chris B]

That last bit also seems (from what has been publicly stated) to be true for the NHS app also. If you never get a positive test result data will never leave your phone. The data only goes to the central data base when you have the +ve test result.

[Andy Burns]

Are they still saying they'll publish the source code of the app?

[Michael Chare]

Thank you, could well be. It appears that the Play store does allow closed groups specifically for testing. Quite how you allow just anyone on the Isle of White to join the group, I don't know.

[Michael Chare]

I have learnt that the Swiss German app is incompatible with the UK app which may well be a problem for anyone going abroad. The French have their own app.

[Andy Burns]

Guess we'll find out on Thursday ...

[Chris B]

This link has just been referred to in another place. looks like an interesting read.

[John Rumm]

One might argue, that if you tote your 3310 about with you, then that allows you to be tracked.

(one of the implied but not often thought about aspects of carrying a mobile - if you want people to be able to ring you, the "the system" needs to know where the phone is, and that predates the common use of GPS, or always on data etc)

[Jethro_uk]

It's a blank page :)

[#Paul]

A not very positive take on the app is here

#Paul

[tim...]

I don't see that having the UK app is the barrier

it will be not having the local app, that's the problem

solution

download the local app and then delete it once you have got across the border

this idea that we will somehow not be able to get in is nonsense on stilts

tim

[newshound]

Although not to the accuracy required for contact tracing. We often see people being located by triangulation from three towers on police and spy films and tv drama. I wonder how often the accuracy is as high as usually portrayed (given that there must be some latency in the towers). Of course if you keep WiFi on then Mr. Google knows if you have walked into Sainsburys, etc.

[tim...]

I'm sort of aware of that

doesn't stop the apps saying this

I think when they say "upgrade to ..." they are really saying "go out and buy a new phone you cheapskate bastard"

which is fine for commercial apps, not so much for a government one.

tim

[tim...]

that's the reason why there is pushback from them doing this

tim

[tim...]

just heard, it will be released to allcomers on Thursday

tim

[tim...]

I understood that the stored data will self destruct after two weeks

[tim...]

"won?t drain your battery "

As having BT on automatically drains your battery, that one's impossible to achieve

tim

[tim...]

The Self Assessment software worked very well IMHO

tim