Defects have been found in a smartphone app designed to notify users of contact with those who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Monday.
According to the ministry, which operates the app, a specific operation leads to the display of an incorrect message. "We would like to fix the defects as soon as possible," a ministry official said.
The ministry said it will take about a week to fix the problem, and users will need to update to the latest version. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the app had about 3.92 million downloads.
When a user tests positive for the novel coronavirus, the user enters a "process number," which is sent by email from a public health center, into the app. Then, notifications are sent to other users who had contact with the positive user within the previous 14 days. The ministry aims to prevent the spread of infection by encouraging people to refrain from going out and to have new coronavirus tests.
According to the ministry, the glitch that displays "Completed" instead of "Failure" when a user enters an incorrect process number was discovered on Friday, the day the app was released. The ministry has decided not to issue process numbers until the app is fixed, because it may cause confusion, although it will not cause any actual damage even though it mistakenly displays "Completed."
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