How to Get People to Download Track and Trace Medical Apps

The Problem: Not enough people are downloading track and trace apps to make them effective.

The Solution: Build in an extra benefit exclusively for app users to use in the real-world.

Track and trace is all the rage at the moment, with countries around the world launching apps and asking their citizens to download them.

However, not enough of the population is downloading the apps to make them truly effective; a big concern seems to be privacy and data breach risk.

My proposed solution is very simple, taken from many businesses who have realised how to get people to download and use their products: give app users something they want straight away for free, which is exclusive to people who download the app.

My suggestion for track and trace apps is to include a booking feature with the app, which gives exclusive access to events as they start to open up. People could still go to shops and parks as much as they wanted, but for the coolest and most in-demand events they would have to show their app to get in.

So, for example, if you wanted to go to a socially-distanced football match you would only be able to buy a ticket if you included a code the app produced (much like online banking prompts you with a code to login). Then when you got to the match, as well as showing your ticket you would have to show your app and press a button in the app which would show the day it was downloaded and confirm it had been used all the time since then. You would then be allowed in.

Not only would this encourage more people to download the app, it would also allow a quicker return to large events, as there would be an automated, highly efficient method to contact everyone who went to the event if anyone later turned out to be infected.

Such a process would therefore not only help with public health, but also help get the economy going. Having access to events people really want to go to overcomes concerns around privacy, and the process also rewards those who support public health by downloading the app, encouraging good behaviour.