Washington’s exposure notifications – which are meant to notify people of possible COVID-19 exposures – are here.
Washington Exposure Notifications, also known as WA Notify, was developed by the University of Washington and the State Department of Health (DOH) to alert people who may have been exposed to COVID-19.
Some Washington state iPhone users received their first notification early Monday, saying the system is on.
The app is available on Android through the Google Play Store. To download, search for “WA Notify”.
Gov. Jay Inslee’s office announced the service’s deployment Monday in a press release. Inslee has also scheduled a press conference at 2:30 p.m. to discuss COVID-19.
The service uses Bluetooth technology developed by Apple and Google to detect the proximity of other phones. If someone who has enabled these notifications is positive, they can anonymously notify other users who are within 6 feet of them.
The technology does not share personal information, is completely private, and does not know or track identities, according to the Department of Health’s website.
To activate WA Notify on an iPhone:
- Go to settings
- Scroll down to Show notifications
- Click on “Activate exhibition notifications”
- Select United States
- Select Washington
If you haven’t received a notification on your iPhone, you might need to check your device’s notification settings and make sure you’re using the latest iPhone firmware. You may also need to check if government alerts are enabled on your device.
The department also lists Android app installation instructions, which users need to download to join the service. The department asks you to search for the “Washington Exposure Notifications” app, but you should search for “WA Notify” instead:
- Go to the Google Play Store
- Download the WA Notify app
