Federal Office of Public Health FOPH Apps
SwissCovid 2.3.1
SwissCovid is the official contact tracing app of Switzerland andis operated by the Federal Office of Public Health FOPH. SwissCovidwill help to contain the new coronavirus. It complements theconventional contact tracing carried out by the cantons. Using theSwissCovid app is voluntary and free of charge. The more people whoinstall and use the app, the more effectively the app can help usto contain the new coronavirus. However, it is still important tofollow the rules on hygiene and social distancing. With acombination of the SwissCovid app, contact tracing and complyingwith the rules, we can continue to keep the coronavirus effectivelyin check. Minimum technical requirements: To use the app, theAndroid 6 operating system or newer must be installed on thesmartphone. Details of the version of the operating system can befound under Settings > About phone > Software information> Android version Encounters function: All you need to do isswitch on Bluetooth and carry your phone at all times. Thesmartphone transmits encrypted IDs, known as checksums, viaBluetooth. These are long random strings of characters. Eachchecksum is deleted automatically from your phone two weeks afterit is generated. The app anonymously measures how long and howclose it is to other smartphones that have the app installed. Itrecords any encounters that it has with other phones (closer than1.5 metres and for longer than 15 minutes in any one day), as theseare the situations in which you are most likely to become infectedwith the virus. Check-in function: SwissCovid check-ins allow youto check in to a location or meeting with the app. In this way, youcan be alerted if there is a risk of infection – regardless of thedistance. Only your presence is stored in the app; you don’t haveto leave behind any personal data. You can also offer check-insthrough the SwissCovid app. To do so, you generate a SwissCovid QRcode in the app that people can use to check in on site. Hownotification works If a SwissCovid app user tests positive for thecoronavirus, they will receive what is called a Covidcode. The codeallows them to activate the notification function in their app.This alerts other app users with whom they were in close contact orwho were checked in at the same location during the infectiousperiod (two days before the onset of symptoms). When the Covidcodeis entered, the app notifies these other app users automaticallyand anonymously. The people who have been notified can find out inthe app what to do next. Their privacy is protected at all times.Even if they don’t have any symptoms, a coronavirus test isadvisable and recommended. If a person who has been notified hasalready developed symptoms of the disease, they should get testedimmediately. By working together in this way, we can all help tostop the spread of coronavirus. Protecting privacy The data thatyour SwissCovid app collects is only stored locally on yoursmartphone. The phone does not send any personal or location datato a central storage location or server. This means that no one canwork out who you have been in contact with or where that contacttook place. Once the coronavirus crisis is over, the system will beshut down. The use of the app is limited to Switzerland and issubject to Swiss law.
