Immuni doesn't work on all smartphones, but needs precise requirements to be met. Here's what they are
From June 8, Immuni tests started in four regions: Abruzzo, Liguria, Marche and Puglia. From next week the app will be available on the whole national territory. In fact, the Immuni app is available for download since June 1 and it is already recording and exchanging alphanumeric codes that allow to identify possible encounters with people infected by Covid-19. Since June 8, it is possible for health workers to register on the app servers the 10-digit alphanumeric code associated with a positive person in order to send on smartphones the notification of exposure to the virus.
In this first week Immuni has already faced compatibility problems with some Huawei smartphones: due to the "Energy Saver" function, the application was automatically closed by the device, disabling Bluetooth and notifications of exposure. The problem has been solved on some models and by this week the app will be back to work on all Huawei devices.
Immuni, however, does not work on all smartphones, but needs very specific requirements, both in terms of components and operating system version. That is why it is not possible to install Immuni on older phones.
Immuni, why it does not work on older smartphones
Immuni uses the technology developed by Apple and Google for virus exposure notifications and therefore there are precise system requirements to be met. This is the simple explanation why the app doesn't work on older devices on which the operating system update cannot be installed. In addition, Immuni requires Bluetooth Low Energy, which is only found on smartphones released in recent years.
What are the system requirements for Immuni to work? On Android smartphones you need to have the device updated to at least version 6.0 of the mobile operating system (Marshmallow) and version 20.18.13 of Google Play Services (or higher). For iPhones, the matter is simpler: you need to install iOS 13.5 or higher. The update is compatible with iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone Xr, iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, iPhone X, iPhone Se (second and first generation), iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Pus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus.
Immunes, problems with Huawei/Honor smartphones: what's going on
Discussion is different when it comes to Huawei smartphones. Since the first hours after the release on the Google Play Store, many users reported problems with the app being disabled as soon as it was put in the background. The app's download on Huawei smartphones was temporarily suspended and was only reactivated over the weekend of June 5 for some models. The blame lies with the "Power Saver" feature that automatically disables all apps and functions active in the background, affecting Immuni as well. Starting today (June 8), the app will be available again on all Huawei smartphones.