If you’re in Massachusetts, you might have noticed that you suddenly have an app called “MassNotify” on your Android device even though you don’t recall downloading it. That’s because Google has apparently installed the contact tracing app for those that have turned on Android Exposure Notifications. However, some users are saying that they did not enable that and yet are still seeing the app on their devices, which can be risky as it collects device data. Even worse, it’s actually pretty hard to uninstall this app.
Some Android users suddenly found the MassNotify app on their devices even though they don’t remember installing it. According to XDA Developers, users contacted the app’s Help Desk and was told that even though the app is installed, it doesn’t mean that it’s active or that it’s running in the background. It has just “been made available as an option in your phone’s settings”. They said you can check if the app is active by going to the settings and the COVID-19 Exposure Notifications and a toggle will show you if it’s on or not.
There is no official word yet from Google but a representative has said that they have been working with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the “functionality” has been built into the device settings so users don’t have to download a separate app in case they want to activate the exposure notifications. They said it only becomes active when a user turns it on. Users are having none of it though as the reviews on MassNotify’s Google Play page are bearing the brunt of their anger.
While “MassNotify” is indeed the official app of Massachusetts and have also been used in other countries, it’s still a violation of privacy when Google installs something without the consent of the user. Even though there is probably no malicious reason for this and the data is anonymous anyway, the fact that this app collects device data means that Google should be careful about these things. These days people are suspicious of Big Tech and this doesn’t help.
Users are saying that the only way you can uninstall MassNotify is by using the package name to go to its Google Play Store page. From there, you can uninstall it already.
