1. Why can’t iPhones with an older operating system download the app?
Coronalert only works on iPhones with the iOS version 13.6 operating system. This means that all iPhones released after model 6s will be able to download the corona app. All iPhones with the versions before can not install Coronalert.
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For example, if you have an iPhone 5, you cannot download the app. “This is because Apple wants to have its latest operating system on as many iPhones as possible”, says Professor Bart Preneel (KU Leuven), who co-developed Coronalert. Apple wants us to regularly switch smartphones, yet the professor thinks it is not wise to work with an old operating system. “Older versions can be dangerous if you use a banking app on your smartphone,” Preneel warns. Cyber criminals use vulnerabilities in old operating systems to hack smartphones.
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People with an Android smartphone will have fewer problems. With Android you can download the app from Android 5 (released in 2014, ed.). This version is hardly used yet, Android is now on version 10.
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2. Do you always have to turn on your bluetooth? Won’t my battery drain much faster?
Coronalert only works if you turn on your bluetooth. Bluetooth is the technology that enables smartphones to communicate with each other at short distances. Every smartphone now also has bluetooth. If you turn it on to use the app – and you use bluetooth at the same time for a smartwatch and headphones, for example – then your battery can indeed drain quickly. Our editors experienced this themselves when we were able to test the app for a while.
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3. What does the app look like? There are many corona apps in circulation.
If you search for a corona app in your app store, you will encounter several. It is important that you download the correct app and that is that of our government service Sciensano, that is also stated in the description of the app. Note: Coronalert is completely free, a paying corona app will certainly not be the right one.
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4. Where can you download the app?
You can simply use the app in the appstore from your smartphone. When looking for the app, you have to enter the word “Coronalert”, because that is the name of our Belgian corona app. The app is available for both the iPhone and smartphones that use the Android operating system. People with a Huawei device that still uses Android can also download the app. Other Huawei users will have to wait a while.
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5. Why is the app only available in Dutch?
Coronalert is available in four languages: Dutch, French, English and German. The fact that you see the app appear in Dutch depends on your smartphone. If you use a certain language for your device, the app will simply adopt that language.
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6. Is the app compatible with the apps of the surrounding countries?
Normally, Coronalert should be able to work with the other corona apps in Europe, but that is still too early. According to Professor Bart Preneel, this will not be until November, when the European server, which processes the data from the various European apps, will be operational. For the time being, Coronalert only works in our country.
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7. Does the app have to be open all the time?
You should not leave the app open all the time, it runs “in the background”. it is important that your bluetooth connection remains on. He needs the app to connect to the smartphones in your area. If you switch off your bluetooth, you will receive a message that the app is not active.
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8. Health workers who go home and safely care for COVID-19 patients will also see a red screen. Has this been thought of within the app?
You will not receive a notification every time you contact a covid patient. The app registers anonymously with whom you have been in contact and if someone is infected and has been to the doctor, it will be linked to his or her app. If you care for a patient from a safe distance – more than 1.5 meters and no longer than 15 minutes – the app will not register this.
For health workers who get a red screen, the rule applies: if you have a red screen and you feel ill, you should consult your doctor. If you feel fine and you have a red screen, contact the call center for contact tracking. Coronalert is an extra tool that should help the contact trackers to fight the virus. The app also helps us to find out whether or not we are at risk of infection.
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9. How does the app know that someone near me is infected?
Coronalert constantly connects with the people who have been in your area. If you have been too long (more than 15 minutes) or too close (less than 1.5 meters) to someone, the app will register this. Suppose the person in question is ill and has been to their doctor, the person will get a red screen in their app. At that moment you also get a red screen.
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See also our video explainer below. We answer questions such as: how does the app work, what are the pros and cons and what about our privacy?
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The download of the app stopped already 5 times at 86 to 88%.