HSE working with Google to fix Covid Tracker app battery issue

The HSE is working with Google to fix a phone battery issue reported by some who have downloaded the Covid Tracker app.

People have reported that their phone batteries have been drained in a matter of hours and their phones have been overheating in recent days.

A HSE spokesperson says that the battery issue is related to a recent Google Play Services update, and is not related to the Covid Tracker app.

“We have escalated the battery issue that some people with Android phones are having to Google. The issue appears to be related to a recent Google Play Services update and is not related to the COVID Tracker app. We will update as soon as we know more,” the spokesperson says.

Hey @HSELive what’s happened to the Covid19 app. It was behaving well for weeks but since yesterday it’s draining my phone from full battery to empty in 5 hours.
I live in Kildare. What’s up? pic.twitter.com/9tAyFoMwTy

— Denise Breen 🖖 (@DeniseMBreen) August 8, 2020

Some Twitter users have said that clearing their Google Play cache has resolved their issue. To do this, go to ‘Apps’ in your settings. Click ‘Google Play Store’, then ‘Storage’, and select ‘Clear Cache’.

Newstalk journalist Jess Kelly says: “Bring a charger or battery pack if you’re going out and about rather than deleting COVID Tracker… Particularly as the numbers are continuing to rise.”