The TraceTogether application has been voluntarily downloaded by 1.5 million people, which Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said was "encouraging."

However, he shared in Parliament on June 5 that "unfortunately, the app does not appear to work as well on iOS or Apple devices."

This is because the iOS operating system suspends Bluetooth scanning when the app is running in the background, explained Vivian. He added:

"We've had repeated discussions at both the technical and policy level with Apple, but we have not yet been able to find a satisfactory solution."

No mandatory download

As the app does not work equally well across all smartphones, the government has decided at this point in time, not to mandate the compulsory use of the app.

Vivian was responding to a question from Member of Parliament Vikram Nair, who asked if the download and activation of TraceTogether should be made mandatory.

Instead, the government is currently developing and will soon roll out a "portable wearable device" that will achieve the same objective as TraceTogether, which does not require a smartphone to operate.

Vivian said that if the device works, it will be distributed to everyone in Singapore. He added:

"I believe this will be more inclusive and it will ensure that all of us will be protected."

Data collected from app useful for contact tracers

Despite the app's limitations, Vivian said that the data from TraceTogether has been a helpful additional tool for contact tracers, especially when used in conjunction with data from other sources.

Vivian also emphasised that contact tracing is a professional skill dependent on human judgment, and that technology cannot replace that judgement.

The app has also been upgraded so that the user's NRIC number, along with the mobile number, can be registered to help contact tracers establish links more quickly.

Measures in place to protect confidentiality

However, Vivian also reiterated the confidentiality measures included in the app to protect private information, such as the data being stored on the individual's phone, not by the government. MOH is only allowed to access the data if they test positive for Covid-19. The data is also only used for contact-tracing.

Data is also encrypted for protection, and data older than 25 days is automatically deleted from the phone. If close contact data is required for contact tracing, only a small group of authorised officers in MOH has access.

Vivian added that quick and accurate contact tracing is all the more essential now that Singaporeans are emerging from Circuit Breaker and moving about more frequently.

"By better and faster contact tracing, then we can avoid having to reintroduce restrictive circuit breaker measures in the future. So I hope that all members of the public will work with us to achieve this."

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Top image from Catherine Lai via Getty Images.