How can I book a test through the NHS COVID-19 app?
If you report coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms in the app, you'll be redirected to a website where you can book a test. Depending on your chosen method of testing, your results will be ready in a couple of days. Having your test done in person will provide quicker results, but if you're not able to visit a testing centre you can order a home testing kit. If you test positive for coronavirus, you'll be able to see your result through the app. You can then choose to share data anonymously, so that other app users who have spent time near you will get an alert to tell them that they're at risk. These alerts will never identify you. The notification will typically come through within hours of getting your test result. Read more about who gets an alert if you test positive.
How will the NHS COVID-19 app know my coronavirus (COVID-19) test result if I did not book the test through the app?
You can book a test for coronavirus in many ways, including through the NHS COVID-19 app. If you book your test through the app, your test result will be updated automatically in the app. However, if you booked a test a different way, you can still link your test result to the app if you received a positive result.
By linking a positive result to the app, the app can give you the most relevant guidance. You can also choose to share your result anonymously. The NHS will then send alerts to other app users who have spent time near you, or in ‘close contact', over the last few days. These alerts will never identify you as an individual. Read more about who gets an alert if you test positive.
To link your test result to the app, select Enter test result on the home screen of your app. Then, enter the code you received from the testing service by email or text. If you live in Wales, you may also be able to link your test result to the app if your result was negative. If your test took place in a Public Health England lab or NHS hospital, or as part of national surveillance testing conducted by the Office for National Statistics, test results cannot currently be linked with the app whether they’re positive or negative.
What is the self-isolation countdown?
If you've been advised by the NHS COVID-19 app to self-isolate, it’ll provide a countdown timer so that you can keep track of how long you need to self-isolate. When you reach the end of your self-isolation period, the app will send you a notification with a link to the latest advice for you.
Read more information about how to self-isolate and what support is available for you.
How does the NHS COVID-19 app calculate how many days I need to self-isolate?
If you're self-isolating because you have coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms, the app will use the day you first had symptoms to calculate how long you need to self-isolate. If you're self-isolating because the app has alerted you that you've been near someone who has tested positive for coronavirus, it'll use the date of the last ‘close contact’ you had with the person to calculate how long you need to self-isolate. If you are self-isolating because you tested positive for coronavirus, the app will use the day you first had symptoms to calculate how long you need to self-isolate.
What if I have been in contact with or live with someone who has coronavirus (COVID-19), but they do not have the NHS COVID-19 app?
If you’ve been in close contact with someone who has coronavirus, including someone you live or are in a support bubble with, you’ll have to stay at home according to government guidelines. If the person who has coronavirus does not have the app, you will not get a notification when they test positive. They may tell you themselves, or you may get a phone call from the NHS Test & Trace service, or the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect Contact Tracing Service. In this case, please follow the latest government advice.
What should I do if the self-isolation countdown on my NHS COVID-19 app is different from the advice I was given by the wider NHS Test and Trace or NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect service?
If you've been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), you should isolate for the longest time period advised. If the app tells you to isolate for longer, it has registered a contact that contact tracers are not aware of and you should follow the App’s advice. There are a number of reasons why the self-isolation countdown on your app may differ from what you have been told by the wider NHS Test and Trace programme.
