The cities of Somerville and Methuen are working with state public health officials on a pilot of MassNotify, a new tool that helps fight COVID-19 with smartphones. The pilot begins Monday, April 5. MassNotify can send you an “exposure alert” if you were in close contact with someone who anonymously shared through MassNotify that they tested positive for COVID-19.

If you choose to enable MassNotify, your phone will share anonymous Bluetooth codes, which do not contain personal information or location data, with other phones nearby. If you test positive, you can choose to anonymously alert other MassNotify users so they know about the possible exposure. If you have recently been near someone who tests positive for COVID-19, and they share their result using MassNotify, you may get a private exposure alert on your phone. This alert will tell you that you may have been exposed to COVID-19 and will send you information to help you quarantine and get tested.

How to enable MassNotify

• On an iPhone

  • Go to Settings

  • Scroll down to Exposure Notifications

  • Click “Turn on Exposure Notifications”

  • Select United States

  • Select Massachusetts

• On an Android phone

  • Go to the Google Play store

  • Download the MassNotify app

Along with wearing masks, keeping a safe distance, and answering the phone if contact tracers call, MassNotify is another way to keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities safe from the spread of COVID-19.

Please go to www.mass.gov/massnotify to learn how you can add your phone to the fight against COVID-19 in Massachusetts.