PocketCare+ was developed by researchers at the University at Buffalo, a public research university. Its purpose is to help slow the spread of COVID-19, and potentially other infectious diseases, by using privacy preserving technologies to improve contact tracing.
PocketCare+ is built upon another application, called PocketCare, developed five years ago by CSE faculty and students at UB to track flu/virus propagation through close contact, and used by many volunteers. The data collected has also been used to model and predict flu/virus propagation in a paper titled "PocketCare: Tracking the Flu with Mobile Phones Using Partial Observations of Proximity and Symptoms".
Disclaimers: (1) PocketCare+ neither provides diagnostic services nor substitutes medical treatment. If you feel sick, please seek medical help. (2) If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, the medical personnel will report your information to your local health department; and (3) PocketCare+ does not collect, store or disclose any personal information, as described in the FAQ below. Nevertheless, PocketCare+ does not guarantee that after you are diagnosed with COVID-19, no other PocketCare+ app users will be able to learn your identity and keep that information confidential.
PocketCare+ will be available to download from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store (Early May).
You can subscribe to be notified by email as soon as the app is available.
Your email address will only be used for notifications pertaining to the PocketCare+ application.
Email the PocketCare+ Development Team
Helps you monitor your symptoms and be vigilant.
Only anonymous data (no personal data) is collected.
Location data is stored locally on your device and not shared with others.
Is used to identify nearby devices.
Only as an alternative to GPS and Bluetooth and to save cellular data usage.
Data will not be sold to any third parties.