In my column on 4 May, I reported that the UK government was trialling a contact tracing app, which was due to be rolled out nationwide later that month.
Why the App Quit on Us
But, surprise surprise, it never actually lived its dream. The following week the government dropped the baton, saying the app was dead and that a new version—crafted by Apple and Google together—would swoop in sometime down the road.
So, what went wrong? Let’s dig into the key missteps.
Will we ever see an effective contact tracing app widely used in the UK?
Why the UK Contact‑Tracing App Fell Short (And Maybe Never Needed One)
Remember the early‑spring chaos when the world was stuck inside homes and the headline headlines were screaming “Death Toll Rising”? People everywhere were staring at the screen for a miracle. A neat little phone app that could magically lift the lockdown seemed like the answer, but turns out the story was written upside‑down.
Fetishising “One‑Click” Solutions
When the first wave hit, governments—particularly the UK—jumped on a phone app as if it were a superhero cape. “You’ll just download it, and the universe will heal itself,” they promised. The pop‑up message was clear: get the app, get safe.
Centralised vs. Decentralised — The Big Showdown
- Centralised model: All contact data ends up in a single, big vault held by the government.
- Decentralised model (think Apple & Google): Every phone keeps its own ledger, only sharing data if you actually test positive.
The UK’s plan leaned heavily on the centralised route. IT, privacy advocates, even a parliamentary human‑rights committee stuck a polite “maybe not” in it. “Why the extra handcuffs?” the committee asked. The government waved it off.
Trust Woes and a “Mission Creep” Threat
Conspiracy lovers had their way of saying: “If we let the government know who touched who, they’ll probably start using that data for other things.” That was exactly the fear. The “Dominic Cummings” scandal thrown in May— a political gossip storm— only fed the mistrust pot. Polls later said: “No thanks, I won’t install your app.” End of story.
Rule of 80%: Too Good to Be True
It was pretty clear that for a contact‑tracing app to work you’d need to get 80 % of smartphone users to install it. Picture your smartphone zoo: iPhones (big market share), Android phones, tablets, feature phones. The bigger the herd, the better the odds. But when a lot of folks say “No thanks”, the herd shrinks be like, “Ow! We’re doomed.”
The International Scene — A Counterpoint
While the UK stuck to its centralised plan, most European neighbours abandoned the idea and rolled on Apple & Google’s decentralised tech. France did the opposite, but once Ireland and Germany rolled out their own apps, the “decentralised standard” seemed to win the day.
Apple’s Bluetooth Blockade
- Apple restricted how developers could use Bluetooth for the very tracing strategy the UK wanted.
- Result? The UK app just didn’t play nice with iPhones, which makes up a chunk of the UK smartphone crowd.
Even the government warned they’d hit this wall back in April, hoping a fix would appear. Instead, it became a permanent glitch.
Will We Ever Actually Release an App?
The current U‑turn leaves us with a fuzzy timeline. Will a new app ever hit the market, and can it work at all? It’s still on the table, but we’re all watching the clock.\n\n
Technology Isn’t the Full Answer
Bluetooth isn’t the perfect distance measurer. An “inaccurate” signal can throw up a ton of false positives or, worse, miss real close encounters. The field still needs a lot of refined, proven tech.
When Do We Really Need an App?
The virus was more likely to spread when you’d been in a room with someone for an extended time — at home or work — than from a quick, accidental street bump. In reality, if you catch COVID, you probably already know the people you’re close with.
Public transport use has tanked, and mask‑wearing everywhere means the spotlight on unseen “unknown” contacts has lessened. The lesson: manual tracing stayed—and remains—one of the best safety nets.
Bottom Line: Maybe the App Was Just a Fancy Shrink from Bigger Needs
While phones got the “fancy” label, the battle taught us that in a pandemic, human effort and good old‑fashioned tight‑knit community cooperation can outshine even the nearest‑future tech.
