Massachusetts ‘MassNotify’ Android app auto-installed, but COVID exposure alerts are not enabled [Updated]
According to many user reports over the past day, MassNotify — the Massachusetts exposure notifications app — was automatically installed on Android phones without warning. It’s unclear if this was an intentional decision or a bug, but exposure notifications did not also get enabled with the install.
Update: Google provided the following comment to 9to5Google on Saturday. The company confirms the new “automatically distributed” nature but states that “COVID-19 Exposure Notifications are enabled only if a user proactively turns it on.”
“We have been working with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to allow users to activate the Exposure Notifications System directly from their Android phone settings. This functionality is built into the device settings and is automatically distributed by the Google Play Store, so users don’t have to download a separate app. COVID-19 Exposure Notifications are enabled only if a user proactively turns it on. Users decide whether to enable this functionality and whether to share information through the system to help warn others of possible exposure.“
With the Massachusetts MassNotify app launch, the Exposure Notifications Express system was updated to leverage this automatic distribution so users can more quickly enable/disable alerts directly from the system Settings app. The Express approach previously leveraged a more traditional app instead of this new integrated service one.
