NHS COVID-19 app is trying to tell Android users something but buggy notification appears stuck on 'Loading...' screen
- Reference: 1610543727
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/01/13/nhs_covid_19_notification/
- Source link:
The app had a troubled start in life last year as homegrown efforts initially foundered before a second crack at contact chasing [2]emerged towards the end of summer . A [3]further tweak in autumn added support for the contact-tracing API co-developed by Google and Apple and, by version 3.9, the app claimed to banish the curse of "ghost notifications" of "possible exposure".
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Notifications of a different nature are now plaguing many Android users. Even this hack's Galaxy S10 has not proven immune, with an initially heart-stopping notification appearing that, on further inspection, simply said "Loading…"
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Click to enlarge
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The Register contacted the Department of Health and Social Care, and a spokesperson told us: "We are aware of an issue affecting Android users of the NHS COVID-19 app who are receiving a loading screen notification. We are working with Google to urgently investigate and resolve the issue as soon as possible."
We also understand that receiving the "Loading..." notification doesn't mean isolation is required. The rest of the app (booking a test and entering test results, checking symptoms, and doing the venue-scanning fandango) is apparently working normally.
Still, it's a bit worrying for already jumpy users. There is the danger that some might deal with the notification problem by simply deleting the app, or turning off important services in an effort to make it go away.
While those staffing the NHS COVID-19 app Twitter account have been bombarded by users asking pretty much the same question, a thread on [7]GitHub (thanks to Register reader David Gosnell for the tip) has gone into more technical detail. Some users have reported turning background activities off and on again deals with the issue (at least temporarily) while others reported no exposure uploads since yesterday.
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We've put both the latter points to the Department of Health and Social Care and will update should a response be forthcoming. ®
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[1] https://search.theregister.com/?q=bork
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2020/08/14/nhs_tracing_app_irish/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/29/nhs_covid_19_app_update/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x250&tile=2&c=2X-8nJLS-z4wCnrzGHgSKGgAAAFg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/01/13/nhscovidbugged.jpg
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x250%7C300x252%7C300x600&tile=3&c=33X-8nJLS-z4wCnrzGHgSKGgAAAFg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[7] https://github.com/nhsx/covid-19-app-android-ag-public/issues/39
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251&tile=4&c=44X-8nJLS-z4wCnrzGHgSKGgAAAFg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
They might as well have not ever installed the app then if the first sign of unexpectedness causes them to uninstall.
Not only UK. I'm sitting with the exact same issue for the Danish Covid-19 app.
Google Play Services
So it's looking most likely that it's a change in Google Play Services, given that there was an update to that overnight. Now, what's the betting that Google forewarned NHSx (and Denmark's equivalent, based on LosD's comment) but no-one took any action?
For now, the message has gone from my phone without any intervention, but the Google back-end confirms there have been no syncs since yesterday evening so the lack of any further messages is only a placebo of workingness.
Re: Google Play Services
The message had gone from mine too, but I opened the app and it's back. It must just get unloaded after a while.
Re: Google Play Services
Just did a kill and restart on the app, and finally got an exposure check logged in the Google back-end at 13:55. So might now be working.
Re: Google Play Services
Out of interest where do you find that exposure check logged?
Re: Google Play Services
I think for the NHS App (on Android) it's under
-> About this App
-> Down to About your data
-> Manage my data
That lists where you've been and flags up any stuff.
Don't think you access the data directly from the android settings, only delete it.
Re: Google Play Services
It's in the phone settings, not the app. Go to Settings, Google, Covid-19 Exposure Notifications, top right menu, Exposure checks and authenticate. Click on a time for the details, such as they are.
The app itself I think only logs the QR check-ins.
Re: Google Play Services
>>So might now be working.
Just Force Stopped + Restarted the App (not the phone) and still got the loading notification... so I guess it's workig about as well as can be expected.
Re: Google Play Services
Now, what's the betting that Google forewarned NHSx (and Denmark's equivalent, based on LosD's comment) but no-one took any action?
Move fast and break things vs. government IT. What could possibly go wrong?
Re: Google Play Services
Well that would be "move fast and break things" vs. "move very slowly and never get things working in the first place". Not sure why anyone thought combining the two would end well.
Re: Google Play Services
Now, what's the betting that Google could not be rsed to tell anyone they were making some fundamantal changes to parts of their system so broke lots of apps. Dead cert for that one.
Not a new notification
It used to pop up this loading... crap at about midnight every night on my OnePlus device.
... that is, it kept doing it until I uninstalled the app!
Re: Not a new notification
because it was loading updates.. sigh.
"There is the danger that some might deal with the notification problem by simply deleting the app,"
That's what my partner did!