Aarogya Setu app to be available on JioPhones soon: Sources

A version of Aarogya Setu will soon be available to 10 crore users of JioPhone, and testing of the solution is currently underway, a senior government official said.

Aarogya Setu is currently available on iOS and Android, and nearly 9 crore users have already downloaded the app, which has now been made mandatory for government and private sector employees, as part of nationwide efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus.

The mobile application helps users identify whether they are at risk of COVID-19. It also provides people with important information, including ways to avoid coronavirus and its symptoms.

The new solution in the making will work on JioPhone, which supports KaiOS operating system, the official said.

The official further said the integration is on, and tests are being conducted. "Soon, Aarogya Setu will be available on 10 crore JioPhones too...This will be available on Jio store and JioPhone users will be able to download the same," the official said.

An e-mail sent to Reliance Jio did not elicit a response.

The mobile application, Aarogya Setu, is used by the government for contact-tracing and disseminating medical advisories to users in order to contain the spread of COVID-19. The Union home ministry has also said the mobile app will be a must for people living in COVID-19 containment zones.

On Wednesday, Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Aarogya Setu is "secure" and there was no privacy breach in it, rejecting charges that it was a "sophisticated surveillance system" that was leveraged to track citizens without their consent.

The 'Aarogy Setu Interactive Voice Response System' has now also been implemented to include citizens with feature phones and landline connections under the ambit of the 'Aarogya Setu' mobile application.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been urging people to download the Aarogya Setu app, saying it is a fantastic use of technology to combat coronavirus.