Download COVID Alert today
COVID Alert is Canada's free COVID-19 exposure notification app. It can alert you to possible exposures before you have symptoms.
On this page
- How it works
- Your privacy is protected
- Provinces and territories where you can report a diagnosis
- How to get a one-time key
- A public health tool
- How many people are using COVID Alert
- Posters and videos for understanding the app
- Posters and handouts to print and share
- Get help with COVID Alert
- Share your story
- Building the app in the open
- Follow us on Twitter
- Contact us
How it works
- The app uses Bluetooth to exchange random codes between your phone and nearby phones.
- Each day, the app checks a list of random codes from users who have informed the app, through a one-time key, they’ve tested positive for COVID-19.
- If you test positive for COVID-19, you need to enter a one-time key in the app to notify others.
- The app will notify you if a phone was near you in the last 14 days from a user who tested positive and entered a one-time key.
- Keep background updates switched on and check them regularly.
Watch the video on how COVID Alert works.
Random codes and exposures
When you're near someone else with the app, both phones exchange random codes every 5 minutes.
The app estimates how close app users are to one another by the strength of their Bluetooth signals.
The random codes change often and can’t be used to identify you.
An exposure is recorded if you’re within 2 metres of someone with COVID-19 for 15 minutes or longer.
Each day, your phone gets a list of the random codes of app users who have reported a diagnosis. This is only possible when connected to the internet.
If it finds a matching code on your phone, the app notifies you that you've been exposed. It explains what to do next.
Your privacy is protected
COVID Alert doesn’t use GPS or track your location. It has no way of knowing:
- your location
- your name or address
- your phone's contacts
- the health information of anyone you're near
Nobody will get any information about you or the time you were near them. Learn more about how COVID Alert protects your privacy.
Provinces and territories where you can report a diagnosis
Which province or territory you live in will determine:
- if you can get a one-time key
- how you get a one-time key
Currently, the only places you’re unable to report a diagnoses are:
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Nunavut
- Yukon
How to get a one-time key
You can get a one-time key if you’re diagnosed with COVID-19. The app uses this one-time key to alert anonymously other app users that they were exposed. You can choose to upload the random codes your phone sends you.
App users can also enter details to help narrow down when they were likely most infectious. Those details tell the phone which random codes to upload. If the user chooses not to provide details, the app uploads the random codes from the last 14 days.
The random codes go into a central server. No other information is sent to the server.
Learn more on how to use the one-time key.
One-time key process by province or territory
Province or territory | One-time key process |
---|---|
Manitoba |
If you test positive for COVID-19, your local public health authority will give you a one-time key when they contact you. You can only get one key. It expires in 24 hours. |
New Brunswick |
If you test positive for COVID-19, your local public health authority will give you a one-time key when they contact you. You can only get one key. It expires in 24 hours. |
Newfoundland and Labrador |
If you test positive for COVID-19, your local public health authority will give you a one-time key when they contact you. You can only get one key. It expires in 24 hours. |
Nova Scotia |
If you test positive for COVID-19, your local public health authority will give you a one-time key when they contact you. You can only get one key. It expires in 24 hours. |
Northwest Territories |
If you test positive for COVID-19, your local public health authority will give you a one-time key when they contact you. You can only get one key. It expires in 24 hours. |
Ontario |
If you test positive for COVID-19, you can get a one-time key directly from the eHealthOntario test results website. You may also call your local public health authority. |
Prince Edward Island |
If you test positive for COVID-19, your local public health authority will give you a one-time key when they contact you. You can only get one key. It expires in 24 hours. |
Quebec |
If you test positive for COVID-19, you’ll get a call from your local public health authority. You then need to call 1-855-228-4253 and ask for a one-time key. Don’t call unless you've been contacted by your local public health authority about your positive test result. Your one-time key expires in 24 hours. |
Saskatchewan |
If you test positive for COVID-19, your local public health authority will give you a one-time key when they contact you. You can only get one key. It expires in 24 hours. |
Download the app even if your province or territory isn’t participating
If you live in a province or territory that isn’t yet participating in COVID Alert, it’s still helpful to download the app. It will notify you if you came in contact with someone from a participating province or territory who later tested positive for COVID-19.
A public health tool
Using COVID Alert for the duration of the outbreak is just one of the public health tools available to help limit the spread. The app doesn’t replace:
- medical advice
- manual contact tracing by local public health authorities
How many people are using COVID Alert
App usage in Canada
April 20, 2021
Number of downloads
6,485,184
Provinces and territories onboard
9
One-time keys used
28,426
Posters and videos for understanding the app
- COVID Alert: Public health workers, spread the word (infographic)
- COVID Alert: Canada's COVID-19 exposure notification app (infographic)
- How COVID Alert works (video)
Posters and handouts to print and share
Get help with COVID Alert
Check the COVID Alert help page for answers to common questions and issues.
Share your story
Did the app help you make informed choices for yourself or your family? We want to hear from you. Contact us with details about your experience.
Building the app in the open
Learn how COVID Alert is built by viewing the source code. Also find out who is advising us on meeting the highest standards in public health outcomes, technology and privacy.
- COVID Alert advisory council
- COVID Alert open source repository
- COVID Alert open source server repository
- COVID Alert portal repository
- Report a vulnerability
- Accessibility statement for COVID Alert
- Privacy assessment for COVID Alert
Follow us on Twitter
Follow the Canadian Digital Service and Health Canada on twitter for updates about COVID Alert:
- Canadian Digital Service: https://twitter.com/CDS_GC
- Health Canada: https://twitter.com/GovCanHealth
Contact us
Before you contact us, check the COVID Alert help page.
Phone: 1-833-784-4397
- Hours of operation are from 7 am to midnight ET
- We can provide service in more than 200 languages
Teletypewriter (TTY): 1-800-465-7735
- Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm ET
- Date modified: