MI COVID Alert is the COVID-19 exposure notification app supported by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), in partnership with SpringML, Google, and Apple. This app uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) API framework created through a unique collaboration between Apple and Google.
Your personal use of MI COVID Alert helps inform others of possible exposure to COVID-19 if they are suspected of having been within close proximity to someone who has tested positive. When you download MI COVID Alert, you are helping your community stay ahead of any potential surge in COVID-19 cases.
How MI COVID Alert Works:
Once downloaded, users of the app who have enabled it will exchange anonymous Bluetooth “keys” (random alpha-numeric codes that represent a Bluetooth signal) with other MI COVID Alert users.
If someone reports that they tested positive for COVID-19, the app will search for other users who shared the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signal. The BLE signals are date-stamped and MI COVID Alert estimates how close the two devices were based on signal strength. If the timeframe was at least 15 minutes and the estimated distance was within six feet, then the other user receives a notification of a possible exposure. Names of users and locations of possible exposure are never tracked and never shared.
The BLE framework within MI COVID Alert will run in the background, even if the exposure notification app is closed. It will not drain the device battery at a rate faster than other apps that use normal Bluetooth and/or are open and running continuously.
How MI COVID Alert Protects Your Privacy:
MDHHS takes your privacy very seriously. This is why we chose to use the Apple and Google BLE framework. No personal data or location tracking occurs within MI COVID Alert.
MDHHS and local public health staff follow up with persons who have a positive COVID-19 laboratory report. Public health will provide MI COVID Alert users with a validation pin. That validation pin must be entered into the app to report a notification of possible exposure to other users. This prevents people from falsely reporting positive results, which could generate false exposure notifications.
If you have the current Apple or Google operating system installed on your device, you may have noticed that Exposure Notifications are now included. You cannot enable this function until you have downloaded MI COVID Alert. Apple and Google will delete the exposure notification service tools from their respective operating systems once the pandemic reaches a point that public health no longer requires the use of this technology.
Thank you for downloading MI COVID Alert! Together, we can protect our family, friends, and communities.
