Google Has Decided To Remove COVID-19 Exposure Notification From Android

Nov 3, 2023 at 11:32am EDT
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The COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm a couple of years ago, and even though it feels like a different lifetime., as a two-time COVID survivor, I can tell that the suffering was at its peak. During the pandemic, we also saw companies coming together to make it easier for people to endure hard times. Apple and Google worked together to introduce something called COVID-19 exposure notifications.

Android devices are no longer showing the COVID-19 exposure notification as Google has finally removed the settings

The exposure notifications were interoperable between both iOS and Android. Phones with this feature would be able to track other phones using Bluetooth, and when they were near someone who tested positive for COVID-19, an app would anonymously inform the user about the exposure.

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Despite how good the idea was, there were some hiccups that both Apple and Google faced. There was a lot of skepticism from the general public, slow rollout by the state on both Android and iOS and several other issues, as well. Now, Google has decided to remove the exposure notification settings.

If you head over to Settings on your Android device and go to Google, you will no longer see the COVID-19 exposure notification. I tried it on my wife's Galaxy A52s and my OnePlus 10 Pro, and the setting simply is not there. It does make sense from a perspective that the pandemic is now officially over, the vaccination for COVID-19 is available, and although the disease exists, it is not as dangerous as it once used to be

We are glad Google and Apple were able to put aside their differences and work on something that actually helped users remain safe. We also hope that we never have to see anything like that again and go through the fear of losing our loved ones. If you have not received the latest update on your Android device, you might still see the feature, but once the latest update starts rolling out to more people, it will disappear. If you are on iOS, then you can turn the feature off if you want to.

About the author: I have been tinkering with Android devices ever since the early days of the HTC Desire. Over time, I have grown a fondness for the ecosystem and now I cannot live without it. Although some might believe that I have sold my soul to Android, but I believe it is not the case. You can find me writing tutorials and posting guides on a number of different smartphones. When I am not writing here, I am wasting myself away in books, journals, or on Steam.

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