Google has eliminated the error in the technical interface of the Corona warning app for Android smartphones. Google announced on Thursday. The error had led to a number of users of the Corona warning app not having received the current result of the risk assessment since Tuesday evening. Several users reported on Twitter and the developer platform Github that the app did not update the risk status. The error did not appear on Apple’s iPhone.

Error in exposure Notification Network Google stated that they had it late on the evening of 12. January 2021 discovered a problem with the Exposure Notification Framework on Android. “We released a bug fix. It can take a few hours to get the devices up to date.” In some cases, Google will also work directly with the developers of the corona warning apps to help with the recovery. The problem did not result in the loss of data or information on potential hazards.

The error in the Google interface affected not only the federal corona warning app, but all comparable systems worldwide that on the Exposure Notification Framework for the Google Android operating system.

The interfaces from Google for Android and from Apple for the iPhone ensure that the Risk determination via Bluetooth radio can work at all without the battery life being dramatically reduced. The Corona-Warn-App uses Bluetooth technology to measure the distance and the duration of encounter between people who have installed the app. The mobile devices “remember” encounters if the criteria set by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), in particular with regard to distance and time, are met. Other data such as the place of encounter are not recorded.

According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the Corona Warning app has so far recorded over 25 millions Downloads and, according to expert estimates, is actively used by around 23 million people.

(olb)