Is the German Corona warning app also useful abroad, or should travelers rather download the respective app of the destination country?
If you own a smartphone, you usually have it with you on vacation. 59 percent of holidaymakers even want to send their greetings back home via Telegram, WhatsApp and Co., according to a recent study commissioned by the digital association Bitkom. In the Corona crisis year 2020, of course, it is above all a matter of which warning app a vacationer should use to be able to determine whether he may have been near an infected person for a long time. However, there is still a huge problem at the moment.
There is no pan-European warning app, nor can the German corona warning app communicate with foreign apps. An exchange of data is technically conceivable in principle and also planned, but exactly when this functionality will be available is not yet foreseeable. According to the federal government, "work is currently underway to enable the various European corona warning apps to communicate with one another and exchange warnings". In mid-June, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton (65) also confirmed that it was important "that Europeans can use the app from their own country, regardless of where they are in the EU."
Which app should it be?
According to the Robert Koch Institute, the German Corona Warning app has been downloaded more than 16.2 million times (as of July 23, 2020) on iOS and Android devices. It can also make sense to use them abroad – not only because the German app is also available for download in many other European stores for the population of the respective country. For example, if you are at a campsite where there are many other German holidaymakers, the German app can be more widespread in this area than the app of the holiday destination. Basically, the more people in an area use the same app, the more likely it is that a user will be warned of a possible danger.
Basically, the different apps differ in one point: Some store the necessary data centrally on a server, but many other apps use a decentralized approach for data protection reasons, just like the German app. Two different applications can only run at the same time if they have different approaches. The French warning app (central) and the German warning app (decentralized) can therefore be used in parallel. In most cases, vacationers have to choose an app. Families or partners can also bet on a combination, for example, mom relies on the German app and dad has downloaded and activated the app of the holiday country.
In addition, users should be careful, because fake corona warning apps, which criminals simply want to use to access data, are also in circulation. Before installing, users should therefore check whether an app is actually an official program. In addition, apps should only be downloaded from Apple or Google stores. More detailed information on official apps can usually also be found on the relevant websites of the programs.
These countries have their own apps
Like Germany, Denmark relies on a decentralized app. Vacationers can find out more about "Smittestop" on their own homepage. The download of the app is also linked there. The French warning app "StopCovid France" mentioned above can also be downloaded from the German stores. The "COVID Tracker Ireland" should meanwhile take a closer look at German Ireland vacationers. The Italian app is called "Immuni". Holidaymakers can also find more information here on an official website. The Austrian Red Cross is responsible for the "Stop Corona" app in the German neighboring country. The Swiss app is called "SwissCovid" and can also be downloaded from the German stores.
Not all popular travel destinations in Europe have their own warning app. According to official information, Belgium is also working on an app, which is expected to be released in autumn. Greece, on the other hand, does not plan its own app, but holidaymakers should inquire here and generally about current regulations and requirements before starting their trip. For example, Greece and Spain require an online form to be filled in before entering the country.
Spain also does not currently have a country-wide warning app. Since the end of June, however, a corresponding app has been in a test phase on the Canary Islands, more precisely on the island of La Gomera. Appropriate tracing apps for Great Britain and the Netherlands are also still being worked on. Norway's warning app, however, was a failure. According to official information, the app was downloaded around 1.6 million times and used actively by 600,000 people, but the app was deactivated again due to data protection concerns.