From June 15 Immuni is active throughout Italy and users can start receiving notifications in case of exposure to the virus. Here's how it works
After the arrival on the Google Play Store and the App Store on June 1 and the start of testing in four regions (Abruzzo, Marche, Puglia and Liguria), from today June 15 the Immuni app is active throughout the country. This means that citizens who in this period have installed the app and kept it active in the background during their travels, can begin to receive notifications of exposure to the virus in case they have had contact with infected people.
The operation of the app from June 15 has also been confirmed by Prime Minister Conte. Immuni è uno degli elementi fondamentali per l’inizio della Fase 3, quando tutte le attività riapriranno e si cercherà di tornare alla vita di tutti i giorni, facendo, però, attenzione a non far alzare nuovamente la curva dei contagi. Una nuova ondata di Covid-19 sarebbe traumatica per l’economia dell’intero Paese.
Finora Immuni è stata scaricata più di 2 milioni di volte e per risultare efficace deve essere utilizzata da almeno il 50-60% della popolazione. Solo in questo modo sarà possibile intercettare velocemente i nuovi focolai ed evitare che si diffondano in tutto il Paese.
Su quali smartphone funziona Immuni
L’app Immuni si basa sul sistema di contact tracing sviluppato da Google e Apple per i loro sistemi operativi. Affinché il sistema funzioni è necessario avere uno smartphone compatibile con i requisiti descritti dalle due aziende:
- iPhone aggiornato a iOS 13.5 (supportato da iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, Xr, Xs, Xs Max, X, iPhone SE (seconda generazione), iPhone 8, 8 Plus, iPhone 7, 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, iPhone SE (prima generazione).
- Android: il dispositivo deve avere il Bluetooth Low Energy, il sistema operativo aggiornato ad Android 6.0 o superiore, Google Play Services aggiornati alla versione 20.18.13 o superiore. Tutti e tre i requisiti sono necessari.
Nei primi giorni dopo l’arrivo ufficiale sul Google Play Store, ci sono stati problemi su alcuni smartphone Huawei, risolti prontamente con un aggiornamento da parte degli sviluppatori. Now the Immuni app works on most Huawei devices.
How to download Immuni
Those who have an Android smartphone should open the Google Play Store, type Immuni on the app search space and then press the "Install" button.
Those who have an iPhone, should open the App Store and search for the Immuni app and then start the download. In a few seconds, the app will be installed and you can start using Immuni's functions.
The app will soon be available on App Gallery, the store on Huawei smartphones, to further expand the number of compatible devices.
How to activate Immuni
The basis of Immuni's operation is the "Covid-19 exposure notification system" introduced by Google and Apple on smartphones with a software update. In order for the system to work it is necessary to activate some tools of the smartphone. First of all you have to install the app on your devices and then activate the exposure notifications from the device settings (usually it is activated automatically after the installation of the app).
At this point you have to launch Immuni, enter some data (Region and Province where you live), and activate Bluetooth and GPS. These two elements are fundamental for the correct use of the app: Bluetooth Low Energy is used to exchange anonymous identification codes, while GPS is used to identify Bluetooth devices in the vicinity. Those who are afraid of being geolocated, however, need not fear anything: this type of data is not saved.
How Immuni works
What is Immuni for? And how does the app work? The app is basically a contact tracing system to monitor the spread of Covid-19 infections. As you might have guessed, Immuni works through Bluetooth: two devices that have the app enabled exchange ID codes that remain saved on the smartphone for 14 days. The code is continuously updated in order to safeguard the anonymity of Italian citizens.
If a person turns out to be infected by Covid-19, he or she can report his or her positivity on the app together with health workers. As soon as the information is entered, the app sends a notification to all people who have had contact with the positive person. In this way, the preventive quarantine period begins and health workers can put in place all the necessary precautions to prevent a new outbreak.
Those who fear for their privacy need not fear. Immuni's code is open-source and has been published on GitHub. It can be viewed by any person and the experts who have analyzed it assure that the developers of Bending Spoons have done a great job. Moreover, all the data that has been collected by Immuni during this period will be permanently deleted on December 31, 2020.