Contact tracing: fix for the Android app bug

Yesterday the confirmation of a bug for the Android Exposure Notifications System developed by Google, the technology at the basis of most of the contact tracing applications in use in the world (including our Immuni). Today yet another communication on the matter from the Mountain View group: the problem has been identified and solved, the fix is ​​already arriving on the devices.

Android Exposure Notifications System: Google fixes the bug

The anomaly caused for someone the appearance of a persistent notification (as shown in the screenshot below), impossible to delete except by force. There was also talk of a potential malfunction of the contact tracing system, essential in order to alert those who have been exposed to the coronavirus so as to allow them to isolate themselves. BigG's new intervention reassures: no data has been lost, the patch is already being distributed.

During the evening of Tuesday 12 January, a problem with the Exposure Notification System on Android started causing delays in checking potential exposures for those who had installed the relevant app. We fixed the problem, but it may take a few hours for the devices to update and in some cases we will work directly with the app developers to help them with the recovery. The problem did not cause any kind of data loss or potential exposure.



The responsibility was attributed to a hitch in the way of communicating with the servers. For the fix to take effect and restore correct operation, it is necessary not to delete the application storage (“Clear storage space”), at least for the moment. The UK's NHS COVID-19 and CoronaMelder active in the Netherlands appear to have been particularly affected. We have no news of the bug on our Immuni.

Source: The Verge