Death of the NHS Covid app: Software behind hated 'pingdemic' will be shut down ... trends now Death of the NHS Covid app: Software behind hated 'pingdemic' will be shut down next month in next step back to pre-pandemic life By Stephen Matthews Health Editor For Mailonline and Emily Craig Senior Health Reporter For Mailonline Updated: 16:26 BST, 28 March 2023 Viewcomments The NHS's Covid app will be shut down next month, officials confirmed today in the next step back to pre-pandemic life. The software, downloaded more than 31million times, was responsible for the hated 'pingdemic'. Brits were encouraged to input their positive test results into the app so it can send alerts to anyone they may have recently been close to, in order to advise them they have been infected and should isolate. But they were never legally obliged to do this. The software, downloaded more than 31million times, was responsible for the hated 'pingdemic'. Brits were encouraged to input their positive test results into the app so it can send alerts to anyone they may have recently been close to, in order to advise them they have been infected and should isolate The NHS Covid app was launched in September 2020 as a flagship device to help prevent the spread of the virus. It uses Bluetooth to estimate how close a user has been to a Covid positive patient and for how long. This information allows it to determine whether someone is at risk of catching the virus. At the height of the pandemic, it advised Brits to self-isolate for up to 10 days. But the resultant 'pingdemic' saw up to around 600,000 people isolate per week. The app was so sensitive that people were being needlessly 'pinged' through their walls if their neighbour was infected. Parts of the country ground to a halt and ministers were forced to release key workers from quarantine to keep the NHS, transport and food supply services functioning. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility