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Test and trace NHS app chaos as up to HALF of users can’t upload their coronavirus test results
CHAOS has hit the NHS Test and Trace app as it emerged up to half of users cannot upload their coronavirus test results.
The new app cannot take results from tests taken through the Office for National Statistics, the NHS or Public Health England.
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Experts have said this means up to half of all tests could be incompatible with the new app, reports .
More than 96,000 people tested in England were unable to enter there results - meaning thousands of others risk not being notified of their proximity to positive cases.
The NHS Test and Trace website has an update which says developers are solve the teething problems "as soon as possible".
Many are also finding out that they cannot share their result with the app for England and Wales if they tested negative.
The app currently asks for a code to register a test result - but the code is only received if the test is positive.
And meanwhile, those who tick the boxes of what symptoms they have find themselves with a timer counting down how long they have until their self-isolation ends.
People who have been using the app since it launched on Thursday, but had already booked a test before downloading it, have reported being unable to to stop the self-isolation countdown.
Prof Deborah Ryan told : "That's so confusing as the app doesn't tell you that you can't enter negative test booked outside it.
"And the app still tells you to quarantine if you entered symptoms. So this means I can't turn off the self-isolation alert in the app?"
The NHS Covid-19 has been downloaded about 4million times so far, according to data analyst App Annie.
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It comes as it emerged that the app could wrongly tell a third of Brits to self-isolate - and it doesn't work on older iPhones.
Brits were urged to download the long-delayed Covid-19 contact tracing software after it launched across England and Wales.
But within hours, flaws in how the app functions emerged - despite months of setbacks while it was piloted on the Isle of Wight.
According to a report in The Times, one in three people told to self-isolate by the app will have been an error.
That's because it relies on Bluetooth signals to determine whether someone has been within two metres of an infectious person for 15 minutes.
But this signal can be interfered with by other devices that use Bluetooth - such as wireless headphones - and generate a "false positive".
Another flaw was also noticed by users as those living near the Welsh border in Englandare being issued coronavirus guidelines for Wales.
Meanwhile, furious Brits have taken to social media to complain that they have been unable to download the app on their iPhones.
The error message says that iOS 13.5 or later is required - an operating system that can only be used on the iPhone 6S or newer.
It means that handsets which are more than five years old - of which there are 10 in total - are not compatible with the new app.
Apple regularly updates its operating system and restricts apps from using software on older models.
Recent data from the technology company Statista suggests 3.8 per cent of Brits with smartphones have an iPhone 6.
With almost 80 million smartphone users across the country, it means there could be more than three million people with that handset alone.
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Technology expert Benedict Evans branded the app for England and Wales a “shambles”.
He said: "A contact tracing app is based on people with a positive test entering that into the app.
"But the English app that just launched is incompatible with tests done by the NHS."
Labour's shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth added; "How can this app be effective if someone is unable to link up their tests carried out by the NHS or tests carried out for surveillance?"
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On Saturday evening, a spokeswoman said: "Everyone who receives a positive test result can log their result on the app.
"A minority of people, such as hospital patients, who were unable to log their positive result can now request a code when contacted by NHS Test and Trace to input on their app."
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But users who report symptoms through the app and then book a test outside the app are still unable to log a negative result, the spokeswoman confirmed.
The app confusion comes as Britain saw its highest ever Saturday for coronavirus cases figures as tough new restrictions are rolled out across the UK.
Dr Hilary Jones gives the new NHS coronavirus track and trace app the thumbs up
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