Aarogya Setu To Come As Default App Soon On Smartphones In India

The Indian government has recently introduced a COVID-19 tracker mobile app which is capable of monitoring the spread of the virus. According to the Mint report citing two sources from the smartphone industry, the app will be soon installed on smartphones by default. One source is from the Manufacturers Association for Information Technology (MAIT) and another is a smartphone maker.

According to the report, the source from the smartphone company suggests that the government has asked them to ship phones with pre-installed COVID-19 tracker app (AarogyaSetu). However, that is not possible because the manufacturing units are stopped because of coronavirus pandemic. It can be possible only once the production resumes.

The Indian government is encouraging everyone to download the AarogyaSetu app to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about "popularising the app and asked them to ensure downloads in greater numbers". He gave the example of how countries like Singapore and South Korea has succeeded in tracking infected people with the help of their app.

"Based on those experiences, India has made its own effort through the app, which will be an essential tool in India's fight against the pandemic. He also referred to the possibility of the app being an e-pass which could subsequently facilitate travel from one place to another," Mint quoted an official statement from the Indian government said.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has also thanked the industry for helping the app to achieve a massive number of installs across the nation. According to the report, the AarogyaSetu app has witnessed 50 Million downloads on Google Play Store, making it one of the fastest-growing app.

To recall, AarogyaSetu app is created by the Indian government, which allows users to check the risk for themselves of catching coronavirus. The app is capable of tracking COVID-19 suspect and it uses Bluetooth and GPS to track whether you have interacted with a person tested positive for COVID-19 or not. It also comes with a self-access test which will ask you some question and tell you the risk status.

It has a new section called COVID updates which shows the number of cases across India. It also shows the real-time updates for cases across all the states. The government has also added "Donate via PM Cares Website" section which will allow you to donate.

Source