I briefly had the Canada COVID-19 tracking application installed, but I was extremely disappointed. It required both Bluetooth and GPS to run which means that if either were off for power saving then it wouldn’t operate. The exchange of codes should not require GPS at all. Furthermore it calls into question about the application not tracking location and maintaining personal privacy by demanding GPS to be enabled.

I honestly would have hoped for more from this functionality. There are a couple of features that would have stood out as compelling to keep it installed and available more often:

• An API that other applications can use to determine how busy potential destinations are, the amount of interest in it (from other viewers, anonymous), and possibly recommendations for less busy places of a similar kind and distance.
• Getting paid in some minor way, a credit, or tax break for running the application.

It should also reduce the barrier for tracking and reporting COVID. It could provide a QR code for testing facilities so your phone can directly receive notification of test results and propagate them, or scan a QR code from the test from the screen to do the same so there isn’t the likelihood of manually entering data or griefing with manually entering false information.