Since the launch of the first phase of the API developed by Google and Apple, several countries have already begun to request access to it and Italy has been the most recent. The API that allows the monitoring of COVID-19 cases in Android and iOS users will be used by the Italian government through the “Immuni” app.
The Italian government has reiterated that Immuni does not intend to function as a medical and non-diagnostic substitute for COVID-19, but rather as a “valuable tool in the fight against this horrible epidemic.” Likewise, the authorities have emphasized that the effective operation of it depends on how many people use it, although “nobody is obliged to use it. It is entirely the individual’s choice. ”
Italy presents its “Immuni” app
With “Immuni”, Italy has launched one of the first applications developed in the Apple and Google contact tracking API. From the Italian Ministry of Health describes the application as:
Immuni is the official exposure notification application of the Italian government, developed by the Extraordinary Commissioner for Emergency COVID-19, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Innovation, Technology and Digitization. The application was developed and launched in full compliance with the protection of the user’s personal data and with current legislation, including the legal decree of April 30, 2020, n. 28)
How to activate COVID-19 exposure notifications
Immuni is available for download in the App Store from today, for those users with iOS 13.5. For it to meet its goal, users must enable contact tracking called “Exposure Notifications” on the iPhone, disabled at the system level by default.
- Go Settings on your iPhone
- Swipe down and tap Privacy
- Choose Health
- Tap COVID-19 Exposure Record at the top
- You can tap the button to turn notifications on or off
The next step is to download an application from your local health authority, in this case, “Immuni” which will require your explicit permission to use anonymous Bluetooth data for its operation.