India To Launch Contact Tracing App For Feature Phones To Combat Coronavirus

After releasing the Arogya Setu app on Android and iOS earlier this month, the Indian government is apparently working on a COVID-19 contact-tracing app for feature phones. According to IT Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, the app is already under development and ‘will be launched very soon’. There’s no further information on the subject at this point, but experts are already questioning whether such a solution will even be feasible given the inherent technological constraints of these devices.

Every state highly appreciated the #AarogyaSetu app and shared their thoughts on it. I have assured them that a similar solution for feature phones is being developed and will be launched very soon. pic.twitter.com/Z6VQOPfmcx

Feature phones continue to remain the main mode of communication for people in India even as affordable smartphones from Chinese and Indian brands flood the market. As per IDC data, the country has around 450m smartphone users compared to 550m feature phone users, which is why the government is looking at a contact tracing solution for feature phones.