COVIDSafe for Android Not Found in Play Store on OnePlus 1

LBendBridge on 09/05/2020 - 22:03

I have got an old OnePlus 1 phone which I want to give to my neighbour so that he can run COVIDSafe on it. His current is way to old for the purpose.

When I tried to look for the COVIDSafe app in Play Store, I got "Item not found". I have no such problem with my OnePlus 5.

According to the official site, the minimum Android version is 6.0 and it must also support Bluetooth. The OnePlus 1 is running Android 6.01 and it supports Bluetooth. It doesn't look like the phone doesn't meet the minimum requirements.

Has anyone encountered the same issue? Is there a solution to it?

/WhyTea

Mobile COVID-19

Related Stores

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Department of Health, Australian Government
Department of Health, Australian Government

Comments

  • triviums on 09/05/2020 - 22:11
    +1

    My Oneplus One is water damaged so I can't test it for you, but when I go to the google play store it is showing up as installable for my Oneplus One (Note: my Oneplus One was running android 9 before it got water damaged) .

    Have you tried going to: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.gov.health.…

    and clicking install and seeing what is says?

    If it can be installed it will show last used date. If it can't be installed it will show "This item is not compatible with your device".

    • BendBridge on 10/05/2020 - 09:26

      Thanks for the link. I clicked on it and was redirected to Google Play with message "Item not found."

      • triviums on 10/05/2020 - 09:59

        Probably means that it's not compatible. Are you sure that it is running android 6.01?

        • BendBridge on 10/05/2020 - 11:35

          Just checked. It's indeed 6.0.1.

          • triviums on 10/05/2020 - 12:54

            @BendBridge: I have one last suggestion then I am all out of ideas. Try clearing the cache

            Pull down the notification bar on your Android device and hit the gear-shaped settings icon, or find “settings” in the application tray. From here navigate to Apps, or App Manager. Then scroll down and find Google Play Store. Select this, and tap Clear Cache or Data as shown below.

            If that doesn't work then maybe it has to do with the way the the ROM you are using was built. If you are using the official ROM which is Cyanogen OS 13S that might be the issue. Cyanogen OS 13S is based on an open source android called CyanogenMod. Sometimes when I was using my Oneplus One an app would think my phone was rooted because of they way the the ROM was built (I never rooted my oneplus one).

            I suggest you call the COVIDSafe helpline: 1800 020 080 and ask them if there are any additional restrictions that might be preventing you from installing the app.

            • BendBridge on 11/05/2020 - 08:55

              @triviums: Thanks for the detailed reply. I actually did a factory reset to clear the cache, etc., but it didn’t help. It could be due to how CyanogenMod was built as you had mentioned.

              Just wondering how many old people out there with older mobile phones that have no access to the COVIDSafe app.

              • kerfuffle on 11/05/2020 - 09:52

                @BendBridge: I guess that's why Harvey Norman took out an ad in the Sydney Morning Herald saying that the selection of phones being advertised were COVIDSafe app compatible …

    • whooah1979 on 10/05/2020 - 08:54
      +2

      It isn’t totally useless. It allows the government to use people’s devices for mass surveillance.

      • pjetson on 10/05/2020 - 10:04
        +2

        Only in that it can tell them who you were near. It can't tell them where you were.

        On the other hand, Google Timeline lets Google know where you are all day long. Have you checked your phone settings?

        • whooah1979 on 10/05/2020 - 10:12
          -2

          I don’t have a problem with Google Maps knowing my location as long as it shows me the quickest way to get to my destination.

          • pjetson on 10/05/2020 - 13:58
            +1

            @whooah1979: Google doesn't just know your current location, it stores everywhere you've been forever. Check out your Google Timeline.

  • mbck on 09/05/2020 - 23:36
    +2

    Get the apk and install it

  • bazingaa on 10/05/2020 - 00:03

    Just checked, there are even Android 10 customs ROMs in XDA for One plus one if you need to upgrade

    • BendBridge on 10/05/2020 - 20:47

      Tried and failed with "signature verification failed" while flashing LineageOS. I have installed the latest twrp. Many have reported the problem but I couldn't find a solution.

      • bazingaa on 10/05/2020 - 21:01

        I haven't owned One plus phones, but in some other cases I had to use specific recovery versions for a given ROM mentioned by ROM dev in such case

        • BendBridge on 11/05/2020 - 08:39

          I suspect the same. I started off with the latest and then installed another version that was a year older, but the problem persisted.

          • triviums on 11/05/2020 - 10:02

            @BendBridge: Are you doing a dirty or clean flash?

            • BendBridge on 11/05/2020 - 10:58

              @triviums: Sorry, not really what that means. I did a factory reset, installed twrp and then rebooted into it and used the option there to clear the cache…

              • triviums on 11/05/2020 - 11:20

                @BendBridge: There are two ways to install a custom ROM.

                Dirty Flash:
                You upgrade from the current ROM to the new ROM without wiping anything (factory reset doesn't count). After installing you wipe dalvik and cache.

                Clean Flash:
                You wipe Dalvik Cache, system, cache, and data and then install the new ROM.

  • seefu on 10/05/2020 - 09:57

    Does the Oneplus One have Bluetooth Low Energy? That might be a requirement of the app since it uses BLE to handshake other BLE devices to know who it has come within short range contact with.

    The OPO is getting a bit old now so I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't have BLE and therefore not compatible.

  • Blue Cat on 10/05/2020 - 10:01
    +2

    I have never seen a person so motivated to be tracked by the government voluntarily!

    • pjetson on 10/05/2020 - 14:01

      How does the app track anyone? It doesn't know or store where you are!

      • jimdotpud on 11/05/2020 - 11:29

        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/8694989/redir
        don't be naive, the app has access to GPS

        • pjetson on 11/05/2020 - 13:38

          Don't be so paranoid. The code has been proven not to access the GPS.

      • Quantumcat on 11/05/2020 - 11:40

        A) due to being a centralised model there is a huge attraction to hackers both private and nation sponsored to get the data (eg I imagine China would love to know which international students are fraternising with Hong Kong or uygher sympathisers)
        B) the government has not released the source code for the server so the encryption could be weak - they have a history of poor encryption. There was a leak of a million Australians' healthcare data from My Heath Record and patients and doctors were able to be identified and have all their data connected with them. If the government released the source code then experts could go over it and find the weak points so security could be improved.
        C) it is quite likely the data will be publicly available at some point (inevitable really with all that juicy data being in one place) and if you have someone's mobile number it wouldn't be too hard to find out who they are, especially combined with a (fake) name they've probably used elsewhere and a postcode
        D) the data has many uses - law enforcement for example to disprove alibis or charge you with a crime you didn't commit because you happened to be in the same area as a criminal without knowing it for 15 minutes.
        D 1/2) the ID does not change, so you can use the signal emitted by phones with the app to stalk someone - eg driving slowly down a street you think they might be staying in and sniffing Bluetooth data on the way. Bad news for people wanting to get out of a domestic violence situation.
        E) they may say it is only for health professionals to use but they have a history of changing their minds. After 9/11 the telecommunications act was introduced to be allowed to listen in on phone calls and track people if they were suspected of terrorism. Almost as soon as the legislation was introduced the government changed it so they could also spy on journalists to find out their sources and raid them.
        F) once someone knows who everyone is it is trivial to work out general locations. If you bumped into people A, B, and C on a particular day and whoever is looking at the data knows A works full time in a store in such and such a street, B lives in the next suburb, and C lives many suburbs away but works in a particular building a few streets away from A well you've got a good idea of the places you went.
        G) the government could have avoided the honey pot just by using Google or apple's apps they are developing which use a decentralised model, which leaves all data on your own phone. Meaning there's no attractive central location to hack into and nobody's data will be leaked, or be able to be used by the government even if they change legislation.
        H)and not to mention your data is controlled by a private company in a foreign country. If they have made any mistakes that also could make your data more easily decrypted and linked back to you after it is leaked

  • [Deactivated] on 10/05/2020 - 20:37

    This app is to keeping you safe from covid-19 as a pregnancy test is to stopping you from having a baby or aloe Vera to stop you from getting sunburnt.
    If you don’t do public transport or spend excess time around others you will be just as well off.

  • Sammy2000 on 10/05/2020 - 21:19

    Is the phone and Google Play store region set to Australia?

    • BendBridge on 11/05/2020 - 08:36

      Yes. Double checked. As mentioned, I could find COVIDSafe app on my OnePlus 5 but not OnePlus 1.

  • jimdotpud on 11/05/2020 - 11:27
    -4

    too many idiots believe too many lies the politicians tell them. this app will not keep you safe. it's a complete lie. they want to track you and they want you to accept this willingly

    why else would the app require permissions for Location Services (GPS)

    • Quantumcat on 11/05/2020 - 11:44

      I don't trust this app either but location tracking permissions are only because they need that permission on android to be able to use Bluetooth in the background. The source of the app has been decompiled and checked. That's not to say they can't introduce location tracking in a future update of course.

      • jimdotpud on 11/05/2020 - 11:52
        -2

        that's not correct. plenty of apps use bluetooth comms without access to GPS.
        and therein lies the problem. once you accept the app having that permission, they can update the up to introduce new features. the app wont ask for permission to GPS again, apps only have to ask for new permissions that you haven't accepted already.

        • Quantumcat on 11/05/2020 - 11:57

          https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/blue…

          Bluetooth permissions
          In order to use Bluetooth features in your application, you must declare two permissions. The first of these is BLUETOOTH. You need this permission to perform any Bluetooth communication, such as requesting a connection, accepting a connection, and transferring data.
          The other permission that you must declare is ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION. Your app needs this permission because a Bluetooth scan can be used to gather information about the location of the user. This information may come from the user's own devices, as well as Bluetooth beacons in use at locations such as shops and transit facilities.
          Alternatively, on devices running Android 8.0 (API level 26) and higher, you can use the CompanionDeviceManager to perform a scan of nearby companion devices on behalf of your app without requiring the location permission. For more on this option, see Companion device pairing.

          The ability to not need location services is when you are connecting to companion devices as opposed to any random device like this app

          • jimdotpud on 11/05/2020 - 12:06

            @Quantumcat: ok so not for headsets and other companion devices… wow. what a screw up by google.
            so for this app to work you have to have BT and GPS on the whole time, sucking the life out of your battery

            • Quantumcat on 11/05/2020 - 15:00

              @jimdotpud: Not sure why sometime negged you so gave you a + as you haven't seemed to have said anything that's wrong

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