Contact-tracing smartphones on a budget
You don’t have to spend much for a phone that runs the COVID Tracer app.
You don’t have to spend much for a phone that runs the COVID Tracer app.
Sick of signing in with pen and paper? Would automatic location alerts give you peace of mind? You need a phone that can scan official Ministry of Health QR codes.
Happily, almost any smartphone you buy will do the job. The NZ COVID Tracer app is lightweight and uses a minimal amount of processing power. You might just have to wait a few seconds for it to open on slow phones. The app runs on:
We’ve heard from people wanting a phone for scanning, receiving alerts, and nothing else. If that’s you, the simplest smartphones sell for less than $100. They’re often sold by telcos like Vodafone or Spark and locked to their networks. However, they tend to be terrible as phones – if you think you might use it as anything more than a pandemic pal, you’ll quickly become frustrated with how underpowered it is.
For slightly faster processing, a half-decent display and likely a longer support life, we’d suggest looking at Nokia’s entry-level models at about the $200 mark. You could also spend a bit more (say, $400) on an Oppo or Xiaomi phone that can compete with more expensive mid-range devices.
A used or refurbished phone makes sense as a contact-tracing companion. Since all you need is something from 2016 or later, you can get a phone that was once luxurious for a fraction of its original cost – like a Samsung Galaxy S7 for $219. It’s even better if a friend can gift you a phone they don’t use any more. Just make sure whatever you get has a new enough operating system – Android 6.0 or iOS 10.
However, beware that some phones more than 4 years old have ceased to receive security updates, putting your data at risk. The COVID Tracer app will be fine, but don’t use an unsecure phone for things like financial transactions.
I have Bluetooth switched on permanently to enable all features of the Covid Tracer and I have received an alert about a lockdown, so I know Bluetooth does work.
BUT recently I have received on 2 separate days Whats App messages from different people (I assume) who are not on my contact list. The messages appeared to be business messages, and I Blocked and Reported each. How has anyone got hold of my mpbl
My app has stopped working after upgrading to the latest Android operating system. 11 I think. I contacted the app provider and they were at a loss.
I do not have a mobile phone and would like to buy one, but I do not want to sign up to a (probably costly) monthly plan. I have been unable to find a provider that just offers a 'top up' system for payment without there also being a monthly fee. Does anybody know of a provider that currently offers a 'top up' system for payment without incurring monthly charges?
I've had a Vodafone Pay & Go Top Up plan from away back, but they have just increased the rates. "Data will be 30c per MB, std NZ voice calls will be 40c per min and std NZ TXTs will be 20c each." So I'll have to watch, as the $15/4 week prepay may work out cheaper. (If I used mobile data, the $15 prepay would definitely be cheaper)
2degrees have 2 great deals for low mobile users.
Their minimum prepay top-up is $10, valid for 365 days. But find out what user charges are for calls and texts.
I found the $10 monthly plan better in the long term. Unused data is carried over for up to 12 months. It will give 250MB data, 100 mins of calls, unlimited texts per month.
I found having data means the easy use of google maps to find directions to a destination while out, or making a call or send a text while out.
100 minutes calling a month means no worry about costs per minute when being put on hold. Many tradespeople provide a mobile number to contact, which costs money using a landline, but can be called "free" if staying within the 100 minutes per month.
Can I use a smartphone without a SIM card, just using WiFi?
Seems to work OK
Ron
Why is it impossible to own 2 mobile phones which have the same mobile phone number.
I would like to have a simple small mobile phone for texts , tickets, and maps, and a fast mobile for phone calls, Covid tracing, maybe emails etc.
It would also mean that I would always have a phone that is charged.
It’s not impossible to have two phones sharing the same number - it’s just a fact they can’t share simultaneously. The number is tied to the SIM card, which has to be unique for obvious reasons. However there’s nothing stopping you from moving the SIM from one phone to another to achieve what you want albeit clumsily.
Hi there. My phone is a 2015 Model 6S Plus. It runs iOS 14.7.1 - latest version. Hence the Covid tracer app works fine. However, the previous year’s iPhone 6 cannot update. Your writer stated iPhone 7’s were needed to run the latest software but this is not currently so. It may be so after November when Apple release a new model as functionality seems to wane from age 6 years.
Have an old iPhone 6 (cheap second hand) does everything including Bluetooth tracing and alerts after the last app update.
Any phone /camera capable of taking photos works too , just take a photo of the QR code and it will time stamp it for you giving time and the location details listed in the photo :) no need for data etc too
For me, the key feature of the scanning app is that it will alert you automatically if you've been at a location of interest, or near a possible contact. Taking a photo of the QR code will work for manual contact tracing if you really can't/don't want to upgrade your phone, but you are missing out on important features.
This is good as a personal reminder if you have nothing else but ideally you want the tracer team to be able to contact you if you have been in a location of interest
I have an Android phone stuck on Android version 5. I complained to the Ministry of Health about lack of support for old phones and they pointed me to Rippl. This app is approved and only lacks the (dubious IMHO) Bluetooth proximity feature. So give the Rippl app a try before buying a new phone.
Does everything you want it to, albeit, at a relaxed pace. Under 70 bucks, and at 4.9 inches, much more pocket friendly than the usual 6 inch plus monsters.
I've got a Nokia 2...cost about $100 a couple of years ago. It's pretty basic with a slow processor and not much memory but runs the Covid app just fine...as you say takes maybe 20-30 seconds to get it running when I turn on the phone but almost always can read the QR code (except where there are reflections). I have Bluetooth enabled and got a warning last week as I was in an area with an infected person in Coromandel Town so it's good to know that everything works with the app.
It will run most of the apps I need fine but not that fast. Camera's fine for the price. We're in a rural area with very limited cellphone coverage so it's not great in that respect. If you're not too impatient it's a good cheap option I think. Great battery life BTW.
Could Consumer's next cellphone tests please assess their performance on weak signals...it's pretty important for those of us who are not townies.
When the code is unreadable because of reflections, if it's on a window then you can often read it from the other side. Non-intuitive, but it seems the code is reversible.
The original SE is the brains of an iPhone 6 in the body of an iPhone 5, works really well for scanning, tracing, booking vaccines, and alerts. Now running iOS 14.7.1
Really cheap second hand
But it’s based on the 6S not the 6. I’ve been using my old 6 since my SE finally gave up after being dropped countless times and still working through smashed & taped screen.
The 6 by comparison was a slug.
This all reminds me of the back n forth emails with Consumer and how this very website wouldn’t work on a phone that could still be bought brand new 1 year prior (the budget iPhone C, that had an OS limit just like the 6) Their response boiled down to “Oh well, buy a better phone”.
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