To contain the spread of novel coronavirus in the country, PM Narendra Modi had taken a few stern steps including nation-wide lockdown. Later, the GoI with Niti Ayog developed a contact tracing app called Aarogya Setu. India is one of the few countries that has developed its own contact tracing application to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus. The app notifies the users about their vulnerability towards the virus.
Aarogya Setu app is available on Google Play Store and Apple App store platforms as well as KaiOS. The app can also be used by feature phones and landline users. The app basically takes advantage of location services and Bluetooth to check if you crossed paths with any coronavirus suspected people.
According to the application’s indicator, green means you are safe, whereas red indicates you are COVID positive. Yellow and Orange indicators suggest moderate and high risk, respectively.
As per the latest data, the app has been downloaded by 15 crore people in the country.
Ever since it was released, Aarogya Setu faced tremendous backlash for storing users’ personal data. Developers, however, time and again have denied the claims and said that Aarogya Setu is safe to use and doesn’t share data with anyone.
It has been receiving quite a few updates lately. With each update, the developers either fix known bugs or add new features to the Android and iOS version of the application.
Here's a list of latest features:
* With the latest update, the users of the app can now access the 'See Recent Contacts' feature that allows users to know their Bluetooth contacts and allows them to assess their risk level. Aarogya Steu, from its official Twitter handle, posted “This will enable you to assess your risk. Some BT contacts can be for short durations during travel, some can be when you have Masks on without any physical contact. Always important to take necessary precautions and monitor your symptoms.”
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* Initially, the app was only available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The app has now been made available on KaiOS for JioPhone users. However, the process of using the application will remain the same as it was before.
* The source code of the Aarogya Setu app's Android and iOS versions have been made available in the public for developers to help in making the app serve its users better. There is also a bug bounty program for the app which will ask the develope4ers across the nation to find bugs in the app and submit them. Any developer capable of doing that will get price money.
* A couple of months ago Aarogya Setu IVRS system was released for feature phone and landline users. To use the facility users will need to give a missed call to 1921 number.