More than 230,000 Minnesotans have downloaded COVIDaware app

More than 230,000 Minnesotans have downloaded COVIDaware, the COVID-19 exposure app, which launched just over a week ago, according to Governor Tim Walz.

Two days after the app launched, it became the third most popular utilities app in the iPhone App Store, according to a press release from the governor's office. State officials expect more downloads of the app as Google will be sending a push notification with download information on Wednesday to Android users.

Walz has called the app "an important tool" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Once activated, the app tracks close contact - being within six feet for at least 15 minutes - with other phones that have the app. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they can use the app to send a notification to those they have been in close contact with.

The app will not say who triggered the notification, where the exposure possibly happened or the exact time of the exposure, but will give a broad date range of when the exposure occurred. The app does not share your identity with others.

For more information about the COVIDaware app, click here. It is available for download through the Google Play or App Store.