Download COVID Alert: Canada’s exposure notification app

COVID Alert is Canada's free COVID-19 exposure notification app. It can alert you to possible exposures before you have symptoms.

Available for iOS and Android

How it works
How to get a one-time key
Your privacy is protected
Provinces and territories where you can report a diagnosis
How many people are using COVID Alert
A public health tool
Posters and videos for understanding the app
Posters and handouts to print and share
Get help with COVID Alert
Share your story
Building the app in the open
Follow us on Twitter
Contact us

How it works

The app uses Bluetooth to exchange random codes between your phone and nearby phones.
Each day, the app checks a list of random codes from users who have informed the app, through a one-time key, they've tested positive for COVID-19.
If you test positive for COVID-19, you need to enter a one-time key in the app to notify others.
The app will notify you if a phone was near you in the last 14 days from a user who tested positive and entered a one-time key.
Keep background updates switched on and check them regularly.

Watch the video on how COVID Alert works.

Random codes and exposures

When you're near someone else with the app, both phones exchange random codes every 5 minutes.

The app estimates how close app users are to one another by the strength of their Bluetooth signals.

The random codes change often and can’t be used to identify you.

An exposure is recorded if you’re within 2 metres of someone with COVID-19 for 15 minutes or longer.

Each day, your phone gets a list of the random codes of app users who have reported a diagnosis. This is only possible when connected to the internet.

If it finds a matching code on your phone, the app notifies you that you've been exposed. It explains what to do next.

How to get a one-time key

COVID Alert is only effective when:

you have Bluetooth enabled on your mobile device
users enter a one-time key into the app when they are diagnosed with COVID-19

The process to get a one-time key is different in each province and territory. If you test positive for COVID-19 and don’t receive one, ask your local public health unit how to get it.

The app uses this one-time key to alert other app users that they were exposed. App users can also enter information to help narrow down when they were likely most infectious. Those details tell the phone which random codes to upload and who to notify of a possible exposure.

Learn more about how to use the one-time key.

One-time key process by province or territory

Table
Province or territory	One-time key process
Manitoba	If you test positive for COVID-19, your local public health authority will give you a one-time key when they contact you. You can only get one key. It expires in 24 hours.
New Brunswick	If you test positive for COVID-19, your local public health authority will give you a one-time key when they contact you. You can only get one key. It expires in 24 hours.
Newfoundland and Labrador	If you test positive for COVID-19, your local public health authority will give you a one-time key when they contact you. You can only get one key. It expires in 24 hours.
Nova Scotia	If you test positive for COVID-19, your local public health authority will give you a one-time key when they contact you. You can only get one key. It expires in 24 hours.
Northwest Territories	If you test positive for COVID-19, your local public health authority will give you a one-time key when they contact you. You can only get one key. It expires in 24 hours.
Ontario	If you test positive for COVID-19, you can get a one-time key directly from the eHealthOntario test results website. You may also call your local public health authority.
Prince Edward Island	If you test positive for COVID-19, your local public health authority will give you a one-time key when they contact you. You can only get one key. It expires in 24 hours.
Quebec	If you test positive for COVID-19, you’ll get a call from your local public health authority. You then need to call 1-855-228-4253 and ask for a one-time key. Don’t call unless you've been contacted by your local public health authority about your positive test result. Your one-time key expires in 24 hours.
Saskatchewan	If you test positive for COVID-19, your local public health authority will give you a one-time key when they contact you. You can only get one key. It expires in 24 hours.

Download the app even if your province or territory isn't participating

If you live in a province or territory that isn't yet participating in COVID Alert, it's still helpful to download the app. It will notify you if you came in contact with someone from a participating province or territory who later tested positive for COVID-19.

Your privacy is protected

COVID Alert doesn't use GPS or track your location. It has no way of knowing:

your location
your name or address
your phone's contacts
the health information of anyone you're near

Nobody will get any information about you or the time you were near them. Learn more about how COVID Alert protects your privacy.

Provinces and territories where you can report a diagnosis

Which province or territory you live in will determine:

if you can get a one-time key
how you get a one-time key

Currently, the only places you’re unable to report a diagnoses are:

Alberta
British Columbia
Nunavut
Yukon

A public health tool

Using COVID Alert for the duration of the outbreak is just one of the public health tools available to help limit the spread.

The app doesn’t replace medical advice or manual contact tracing by local public health authorities.

Continue to follow public health measures

always follow all public health guidelines in your area
keep strictly using multiple personal preventive practices at once whether you've been vaccinated or not

COVID-19 vaccination

As more vaccines are given, some of the more restrictive public health measures can be lifted. Learn more about:

Posters and videos for understanding the app

COVID Alert: Public health workers, spread the word (infographic)
COVID Alert: Canada's COVID-19 exposure notification app (infographic)
How COVID Alert works (video)

Posters and handouts to print and share

Get help with COVID Alert

Check the COVID Alert help page for answers to common questions and issues.

Share your story

Did the app help you make informed choices for yourself or your family? We want to hear from you. Contact us with details about your experience.

Building the app in the open

Learn how COVID Alert is built by viewing the source code. Also find out who is advising us on meeting the highest standards in public health outcomes, technology and privacy.

Follow us on Twitter

Follow the Canadian Digital Service and Health Canada on twitter for updates about COVID Alert:

Canadian Digital Service: https://twitter.com/CDS_GC
Health Canada: https://twitter.com/GovCanHealth

Contact us

Before you contact us, check the COVID Alert help page.

Phone: 1-833-784-4397

Hours of operation are from 7 am to midnight ET
We can provide service in more than 200 languages

Teletypewriter (TTY): 1-800-465-7735

Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm ET

Email: hc.AlerteCOVIDAlert.sc@canada.ca