Corona app gets update with check-in function

After the possibilities of the Luca app were the talk of the town, the Corona app of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is now following suit. The official Corona-Warn-App is also to be given a practical check-in function. In the future, this should also enable visits to restaurants and cultural events. The linchpin here is individual and, above all, data-safe QR codes. An update is enough and you can benefit from the new check-in function.

Version 2.0 available now

If you want to benefit from the new features, you cannot avoid an update of the Corona-Warn-App. So the developers implemented the so-called check-in function in version 2.0 of the software. The update is available since today (Wednesday, April 21, 2021) in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. As before, version 2.0 of the Corona-Warn-App focuses on contact tracking. In particular, the new check-in function is supposed to put an end to the paperwork that caused a lot of furor in many places last year. Data protectionists in particular felt alarmed by the handwritten personal details. The effectiveness was also more than questionable in view of the many false entries. The new check-in function could now finally be the solution and better record high-risk encounters of many people indoors.

The goal is almost achieved

While last year we could only rely on a combination of Lockdown and the Corona-Warn-App, the range of available means to combat the pandemic has now been expanded. In addition to much testing, vaccination is foremost in ensuring that we can probably put the Corona crisis behind us this year (hopefully). But although we now have several levers at our disposal for containment, the developers of the Corona-Warn-App are by no means resting. They are continuously developing their contact tracking app. Not only improvements like the check-in function are added. On top of that, the sensitivity of risk encounters has been tightened in version 2.0.

While previously the alarm was only sounded for longer encounters at a distance of less than two meters, the developers have now defined the risk encounters even more broadly. This is a result of many scientific studies. These had concluded that, especially indoors, safety distances are not sufficient as a mere safety measure. In restaurants, clubs and shopping malls, there are risks all of their own. In fact, it is the enclosed space itself that poses a decisive risk through the formation of so-called “aerosols”. Mere safety distances are not sufficient here. This has been considered in detail in the new version.

QR code for data security

While data protectionists went to the barricades with the well-known Luca app, the Corona-Warn-App has always been committed to the best possible data security. This should be no different in version 2.0. If one wants to attend an event or go to a restaurant, the app generates a personal QR code. The corresponding graphic is then scanned before entering a venue. At least that’s the theory. The new check-in function will probably only be put into practice in very small parts of Germany – at least for the time being. After all, restaurants and cultural institutions are still only open in so-called “model regions” throughout Germany. However, as soon as the first opening steps will also take place in the rest of the Federal Republic, the latest version of the Corona-Warn-App should probably also be able to demonstrate a high degree of practicability.

There’s more to come

But that doesn’t seem to be the end of the Corona-Warn-App’s features. If the developers’ words are to be believed, there are more features to come in future versions. As the number of vaccinated people grows, the digital vaccination certificate is likely to be of particular importance. This should be able to be shown as proof of a successful vaccination. But non-vaccinated people will also be able to benefit from other functions. Those responsible would also like to be able to implement quick test results. These enhancements are to follow before the start of the summer vacations as part of a further update. The time frame is wisely chosen. After all, many hope that the first trips will be possible again in the summer.