The state of California will launch a new digital tool today, Dec. 10, to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Using CA Notify, residents can choose to receive COVID-19 notifications informing them if they have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the virus.

CA Notify was developed in partnership with Google and Apple and tested in a pilot program with the University California, San Diego, and the University of California, San Francisco. It does not collect device location to detect exposure and does not share user identities.

“Throughout this pandemic we have tapped California’s talent pool to fight this virus and that includes working with tech innovators like Apple and Google,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “CA Notify will help slow the spread by alerting those who opt in to receive an alert if they’ve come into contact with someone who has tested positive. The process is private, anonymous and secure, and is one of the many tools in the state’s data-driven approach to help reduce the spread.”

Users can enable the system in their iPhone settings or on Android phones by downloading the CA Notify app from the Google Play Store. When individuals voluntarily activate CA Notify, the tool uses Bluetooth technology to exchange random codes between phones without revealing the user’s identity or location. If a CA Notify user tests positive for COVID-19, they will receive a verification code to plug into the app, if they choose. Any other CA Notify users who have been within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more of the COVID-19 positive individual will get an anonymous notification of possible exposure.

CA Notify will accelerate how quickly people get notified of a possible COVID-19 exposure, providing information needed to make responsible decisions about quarantine and testing. Users who have tested positive for COVID-19 will get a text from the California Department of Public Health at (855)976-8462 with a code that can be entered into CA Notify triggering an alert to phones of people who may have been exposed in the previous 14 days.

“With the rapid surge of COVID-19 cases, we need every tool possible to protect our communities. We applaud the state for expanding this scalable system so all people living in California have another means of being informed of potential exposures as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Carrie L. Byington, executive vice president of University of California Health and an infectious disease expert. “We are glad that University of California Health could be a resource for the pilot testing and now for the management of the expansion.”

For information, visit canotify.ca.gov and covid19.ca.gov.