Table 1.
Digital contact tracing tools in selected jurisdictions, comparing the approximate uptake rate achieved across different system characteristics, as of December 2020–February 2021.
| Jurisdictions (DCT Tool) | Technology | Hardware | Protocols | Centralised/Decentralised | Mandatory/Voluntary | Approximate Uptake Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar (Ehteraz) | Bluetooth + GPS | Smartphones | Custom-made | Centralised | Mandatory (requires access to photos + must download or face prison for 3 years or max $55,000 fine) | 85–95% |
| China (The Alipay Health Code) | QR code | Smartphones | Alipay & Tencent | Unsure | Officially voluntary, effectively mandatory (required to access most public buildings or transport) | 75–85% |
| Singapore (TraceTogether and SafeEntry) | Bluetooth + GPS + QR codes | Smartphones + Wearable tokens | BlueTrace | Decentralised Bluetooth, Centralised QR code scans | Generally voluntary, mandatory for people attending high risk activities or large events since Dec 2020 | 65–75% |
| New Zealand (NZ Covid Tracer) | QR Codes, with Bluetooth introduced in Dec 2020 | Smartphones | Google/Apple API | Decentralised | Voluntary | 55–65% |
| Ireland (COVID Tracker App) | Bluetooth | Smartphones | Google/Apple API | Decentralised | Voluntary | 45–55% |
| Norway (Smittestopp) | Bluetooth + GPS | Smartphones | Google/Apple API | Decentralised | Voluntary | 45–55% |
| Iceland (Rakning C-19) | GPS | Smartphones | Sensa | Decentralised | Voluntary | 35–45% |
| Australia (COVIDSafe App) | Bluetooth | Smartphones | Initially BlueTrace, later Herald | Decentralised, State QR code apps are Centralised | Voluntary | 25–35% |
| Switzerland (SwissCovid) | Bluetooth | Smartphones | Initially DP-3T, now Google/Apple API | Decentralised | Voluntary | 25–35% |
| Germany (CoronaWarn) | Bluetooth | Smartphones | Google/Apple API | Decentralised | Voluntary | 25–35% |
| United Kingdom (NHS COVID-19) | Bluetooth + QR Codes | Smartphones | Google/Apple API | Decentralised | Voluntary | 25–35% |
| Uruguay (CoronavirusUy) | Bluetooth | Smartphones | Google/Apple API | Decentralised | Voluntary | 15–25% |
| India (Aarogya Setu) | Bluetooth + GPS | Smartphones | The Aarogya Setu Data Access and Knowledge Sharing Protocol | Centralised | Initially voluntary, effectively mandatory from April/May 2020 onwards | 15–25% |
| France (TousAntiCovid) | Bluetooth | Smartphones | ROBERT | Centralised | Voluntary | 5–15% |
| South Africa (COVID Alert SA) | Bluetooth | Smartphones | Google/Apple API | Decentralised | Voluntary | 0–10% |