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Users of the National Health Service (NHS) Test and Trace app in England and Wales have been receiving inaccurate coronavirus notifications that haven’t warned of exposure when necessary.
NHS Test and Trace complaints have poured in, with people saying the confusing app risk-level notifications have differed from the official government data, according to The Guardian.
On 31 October, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed it detected and fixed an issue that affected the risk-level updates on the NHS Test and Trace app.
Daily Mail reported the NHS Test and Trace app has been operating with the incorrect risk threshold since September.
Thousands of app users could have gone unwarned after they were exposed to COVID-19, according to the Daily Mail.
The NHS Test and Trace app threshold determines whether alerts need to be sent to users to notify them of COVID-19 exposure. However, the Daily Mail reported, that threshold was too high, meaning surprisingly low levels of Test and Trace app users have been notified in the event of exposure, according to Daily Mail.
As a result of the Test and Trace app mishap, thousands of users may have not self-isolated when necessary because they were never informed they had been exposed to the coronavirus.
According to Gizmodo, the DHSC updated the Test and Trace app with a lower threshold that will correctly notify people who need to self-isolate.
“We are aware of an issue which impacted updates to postcode alerts for some app users,” A DHSC spokesperson told Gizmodo. “… This was identified and resolved within an hour and users’ phones will automatically update to show the correct local alert level for their area, along with new guidance.”
Another common Test and Trace complaint is “ghost” notifications.
The DHSC’s update ends ghost notifications that warn app users of possible exposure to coronavirus. The DHSC described these notifications as default messages that could be disregarded, according to the Daily Mail.
Nonetheless, the ghost notifications could have been authentic if the risk threshold was set too low.
But the anonymity of the Test and Trace app means it is futile to try to estimate if more users would have received exposure notifications had the threshold been lower.
About 40% of smartphone users in the U.K. have the NHS Test and Trace app, with over 19 million installations since 24 September.
Now, both Apple and Google’s Test and Trace app updates will fix the inaccuracy of the risk level notifications, the Daily Mail reported.
A DHSC spokesperson told Sky News the Test and Trace app was “the only app in the world using the latest Google-Apple technology to better gauge distance to identify those most at risk, and is deemed ‘excellent’ by international standards.”
“As previously published, we anticipate more app users who are at high risk of having caught the virus will receive a notification to self-isolate, and that will be to everyone’s long term benefit by reducing the chances of those with the virus passing it on to others,” the spokesperson added.
The U.K. government seems to be working to ensure the NHS Test and Trace complaints dissipate, according to its website. The government says the Test and Trace app updates will make it more user-friendly and accurate.
The government explained the update means the Test and Trace app will be better at determining whether someone is at risk of having contracted coronavirus and needs to isolate.
“This means the app will better protect users, their loved ones and our communities,” the government said on its website.
Do you use the NHS Test and Trace app? Do you trust that an appropriate update has been made to fix the app’s inaccuracy? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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One thought on NHS Test and Trace App Sent Users Incorrect Risk Level Info
I happened to look at the app yesterday and was shocked to see a countdown timer telling me I had 8 days left of self isolation. I had no alert pushed through so presumably have been going about my business for the previous six days, putting others at risk. My notifications were on, although I noticed that the setting was ‘temporary’. I have never changed the settings so that must be the default. The system should default to persistent with no other option if it’s to be effective.