COVID-19 Contact Tracing - Australians Doing the Right Thing

I think the idea is great. The implementation not so much. Android phones appear to be working the way the app needs them to, to be effective. But iOS is lacking because in order for it to be fully effective, it needs to be active in the foreground with the screen on (read the instructions again!). Apple will apparently update its API so the app can also work effectively in the background, but until that happens, I’m not using it. Having the screen and covidsafe active for a few hours while you’re out and about won’t drain the battery, but it will reduce its life for that day. You’d need to be carrying an external battery charger, or have access to a powerpoint at some time, I suspect, if you were out for the day. I never leave the screen on all the time and am not about to start now.

Considering buying an inexpensive Android phone for the duration of this thing. I want it to work.

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You’ve seen the light :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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How much would you need to spend on a compatible Android phone though?
I have a Telstra Essential Plus 2 I bought to use out of town (for coverage in regional WA Telstra has us by the proverbials even though I hate them with the fire of a thousand suns) but it only has Android Pie Go, which I don’t think is compatible. It was $99…

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While I cant say for certain, that phone model and Android version (it’s 9) should be compatible (assuming it’s maker ZTE haven’t skimped on the bluetooth radio quality)

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Ahh, of course Pie Go is designed for phones with very very little RAM, so it may be the app won’t run with so little RAM - not sure

At $100-$200, each one could ask the mobile phone telcos and government to help fund a new phone or upgrade for those who do not have a suitable mobile, and choose to participate. This might cover the medical/support staff in the firing line, aged and vulnerable.

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It’s not $99 but neither is it Apple/Samsung price, but my current phone was from memory about $400 outright purchase, and has the required capacity

It needs Android 6 or better. My Sony (the last time I tried android, thanks @benhelps) is only at 4.4.4 and I’ll never switch permanently because… you just dont get the updates for as long as you should, because android phone makers want you to upgrade more often than Apple does :stuck_out_tongue:

I’m sure one of the Nokias or Motorolas (you know, the phones that dont have the cruft like Samsung forces on you) will have a reasonably priced phone.

In the meantime, here’s the reading that caused me to rethink:

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Also worth considering: I don’t use a CGM anymore. On a pension and at $200 a month, its just not doable, longterm (T2, insulin dependent, dont qualify for any government assistance, but thats another story)

Both husband and I have have installed the app and registered.
No problems experienced, and not expecting any - not from the app anyway. From paranoid fellow Australians, perhaps, but not the app.

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Nokia 2.3 at JB has 2GB RAM and is running Pie, wonder if it would work on that. Sadly, the app info on Google play doesnt gve RAM requirements.

The minimum requirement is purely about OS levels. One can presume (sometimes incorrectly) if a phone will run the OS it can run COVIDSafe, although will be limited to how many apps can be running or installed concurrently depending on the phone’s memory configuration. As with PC’s, it seems more memory is required every year, but in theory if COVIDSafe is the only app, it will run on any phone having the requisite OS level or better, data, and bluetooth. (Pie is 9.0)

For Android , you need Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) or higher.
For iOS , you need iOS 10 or higher.

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  • Can a phone with the right Android version but without an active SIM still use the COVIDsafe app? (ie if it only needs Bluetooth to check other nearby phones) OR
    *Can a SIM be swapped into it temporarily to download & register online, and then be removed?
  • Does the registered phone number HAVE to be the service number of the phone that the app is installed on? or could it be a landline? (since it is supposed to be the means by which the owner is contacted)
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Looks like you can…just installed it on a non-SIM Samsung Tablet without sny issues…the only thing is one needs another mobile to register it to get it working.

If the other mobile is registered separately, not sure if it will allow the same number for two different registrations. … this is not something I tested.

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Clever thinking @Almac.
It’s worth a try, but at a guess you still need to register. At least with a temporary SIM swap. My iPhone downloaded the App but went no further until I registered.

If the developers had been given a year or two to deliver the App, perhaps there would be a ready online answer. My old Sony supports Android 6.0, and might be worth the experiment.

P.S.
Thanks @phb

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Just changed over from a iphone 5S (already registered) to a 8 today and had to do a fresh registration. Same sim card!!!

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That seems logical. The personal contact data is likely stored on the phone. The ID of the phone associated with the App has changed, although the SIM card and number has not.

In the other example previous, the App will see still see the same phone ID, retain the original internal data log, just no SIM card. It’s a guess the App will still function if there is a loss of network connection.

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Suppose a good way to scare the paranoid into keeping their distance at shops would be to brandish a phone showing the COVIDSafe app at them.

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It probably does, as they only ask for one number on registration, and while I didn’t test it I bet it only works with a mobile number.

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I have downloaded it, but I still have questions. I have a very low opinion of government communications, competence and trustworthy behaviour, but the greater good is what is at stake here. Nothing about my phone’s movements will be very interesting and since I already where a fitness tracker…
BUT two things. When I first went to download the app, I went straight to the app store on my iPhone and there were at least 6 to choose from. I didn’t have the specific name in my head, it was only that girlfriend who is a GP sent me a link so I could see the icon, that meant I didn’t go for another one which had tracker in the title.
Also, I wear hearing aides so know first hand that only one blue tooth device will connect with my phone at a time. So I wonder if that could cause some ructions.
Not that concerned but I am surprised that I haven’t heard anyone else on the subject of WHICH app.