Washington Exposure Notifications - WA Notify

DOH texts everyone who recently tested positive for COVID-19 so that WA Notify users can quickly and anonymously alert other users of possible exposure. Learn more about these text messages.

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) wants to know how well WA Notify is working so we can make any improvements needed to the tool. If you agree to share your WA Notify data, your privacy is still fully protected. No personal information is collected or shared and there is no way to identify you. Only DOH can access this data and only at the state level.

If you agree to share your data, your privacy is still fully protected. No personal information is collected or shared, so there is no way to identify you. Only the Washington State Department of Health can see this state-level data, which will include:

• The number of people who agree to share their data from WA Notify. This helps us know how representative our sample is.
• The number of exposure notifications received by WA Notify users. This helps us see trends in the spread of COVID-19.
• The number of people who click on an exposure notification. This helps us explore how willing people are to consider public health recommendations.
• The number of people who were near someone who tested positive for COVID-19, but not close enough or for long enough to notified of an exposure. This helps us consider whether the algorithm that determines an exposure in WA Notify should be adjusted.

Off is fine, though on is recommended if you travel outside Washington state for a considerable period of time. When Availability Alerts is on, you could receive a notification when you travel to a location with exposure notification technology other than WA Notify. iPhone users can add multiple regions but can only designate one region as active at a time. You do not need to remove a region to activate a new one. Android users can also install exposure notification apps like WA Notify from multiple states but only one using technology compatible to WA Notify is designated active at a time.

Yes. WA Notify is free and voluntary. You can opt-out at any time. Simply turn the feature off or delete the app. All random codes the phone has stored from other nearby users will be deleted and cannot be recovered.

No. Contact tracing identifies who a person that tests positive for COVID-19 has been in contact with. WA Notify does not track or trace information about the people you are in contact with, so it doesn’t do “contact tracing.” The app doesn’t collect or exchange any personal information, so it isn’t possible for any entity to know who you have been in contact with.

An exposure occurs when you have spent significant time near another WA Notify user who later tests positive for COVID-19. This follows current guidance from the CDC about physical distancing and transmission of COVID-19. To determine an exposure, WA Notify uses an algorithm that aligns with the CDC definition of a close contact – within about 6 feet for 15 minutes or more during contagious period – and can be adjusted by public health officials.

If WA Notify detects you may have been exposed, a notification on your phone will direct you to a website with information about what you should do next. This includes how and where to get tested, information about keeping yourself and those close to you safe, and resources to answer your questions. It’s important to read and follow the directions on the website carefully.

No. WA Notify does not share any information about you with anyone else. When someone receives a notification about possible exposure, they will only know that someone they were near in the last 14 days has tested positive for COVID-19. They won’t know who the person was or where the exposure occurred.

No. WA Notify is free.

Studies have found that the more people who use exposure notification, the greater the benefit. Data models from three counties in Washington state show that even a small number of people there using WA Notify would reduce COVID-19 infections and deaths. Just like wearing masks, physical distancing and keeping gatherings small, WA Notify is another tool to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Yes. If you travel to a state with an app that uses the Apple/Google technology, your phone will continue exchanging random codes with users in that state. There is no need to change anything in your app settings. If you move out of Washington for an extended period, you should review options in your new state to get local support and alerts.

Contact tracing has been an effective public health intervention for decades. WA Notify supports this work anonymously. Here’s an example: If you test positive for COVID-19, public health officials may call and ask you to share your recent close contacts. You can’t name a stranger you sat near on a bus. If you both use WA Notify, the stranger from the bus can be anonymously alerted of the possible exposure and take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to their friends and family  Just like hand washing and wearing a mask each help stop the spread of COVID-19, together they are more effective.

Users who may have been exposed to COVID-19 by another user will receive a notification within 24 hours after the COVID-positive user enters their verification code into WA Notify.

Yes, users who may have been exposed multiple times will be notified of every new exposure.

If you test positive and public health reaches out to you, they will ask if you are using WA Notify. If you are, they will generate a verification code and help you enter it into WA Notify. The code is not tied to your personal information. Public health has no way to know who will be notified by the app about exposure when you enter your code. The notification will not include any information about you. The more people who share their codes, the better we can prevent the spread of COVID-19.

To receive a verification code sooner, call the COVID-19 Hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press # and follow the prompts for WA Notify.

Additional action is only needed if:

1. You test positive for COVID-19, or
2. You receive a notification that you may have been exposed.

If you test positive, and public health reaches out to you, they will ask if you are using WA Notify. If you are, they will generate a verification code and help you enter it into WA Notify. The code is not tied to your personal information. Public health has no way to know who will be notified by the app about exposure when you enter your code. The notification will not include any information about you. The more people who share their codes, the better we can prevent the spread of COVID-19.

If WA Notify detects you may have been exposed, a notification on your phone will direct you to a website with information about what you should do next. This includes how and where to get tested, information about keeping yourself and those close to you safe, and resources to answer your questions. It’s important to read and follow the directions on the website carefully. The notification will not include information about who may have exposed you or where. It’s completely anonymous.

No. It’s designed to have minimal effect on your data and battery life by using Bluetooth Low Energy technology.

Yes. WA Notify uses Bluetooth Low Energy, so Bluetooth must always be active for the system to detect other users nearby.

No. WA Notify will work in the background.

WA Notify requires users to confirm positive tests using a verification code provided by public health officials. The code is not tied to a person’s identity. After the code is entered, WA Notify can match the random codes of users who have been nearby and notify them of possible exposure. The notification does not include any information about who may have exposed them or where the exposure happened.

iPhone users can use WA Notify if your operating system is:

• iOS version 13.7 or later (for iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, SE or newer)
• iOS version 12.5 (for iPhone 6, 6 plus, 5s)

Android users can use WA Notify if your Android smartphone supports Bluetooth Low Energy and Android Version 6 (API 23) or above.

No. WA Notify does not know or check your age.

WA Notify can’t tell who was using a phone at the time of a potential exposure. If you share a phone, everyone who uses the phone needs to follow public health instructions if WA Notify indicates a possible exposure to COVID-19.

No. The Exposure Notification framework was designed specifically for smartphones and is not supported on iPads or tablets.

WA Notify is not the only tool to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Contact tracing and other efforts benefit every Washington resident, even if they do not have a smartphone. Wearing masks, physically distancing, and limiting the size of gatherings are other ways everyone can help stop the spread of COVID-19.

The federal government’s Lifeline program provides a monthly phone bill credit for those who qualify. Some participating wireless service providers may also provide a free smartphone. Learn more about the program, who qualifies, how to apply and participating wireless providers.

Actually, it probably isn’t. Battery use on your device shows what percentage of the battery used each day includes apps like WA Notify. Most apps don’t run overnight. WA Notify doesn’t either, but it DOES check random codes every few hours for matches to a positive user so it can alert you to any possible exposures. So, for example, if no other apps are running while you sleep, WA Notify would represent a high percentage of the battery used during that time. That doesn’t mean WA Notify is using a lot of battery – just a high percentage of the small amount of the battery used.

WA Notify operates based on the language set as the default on a user’s phone. There’s only one version of WA Notify, but any pop-ups – an exposure notification, for example – will appear in a user’s preferred language for the 29 languages Washington state implemented.