The Safer Community app — which is being offered as part of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s saliva-based COVID-19 testing strategy in the spring semester — is now available for download for all Android-based smartphone users.

This is the initial launch of the app in the Google Play store. It has previously been available for download through university servers. All users who downloaded the app prior to this offering from Google Play must follow a migration process.

Complete details on that process, including how to access and use the app, are available here.

The app — which is also available for iOS devices — allows users to set appointments for the saliva-based testing, receive results, access testing history, and show a status card to gain access to campus facilities.

Test results, available primarily in less than 24 hours, are being completed in a federally-approved lab on East Campus. Studies indicate that the saliva-based PCR test used by the university is as accurate as nasal-based testing. Negative COVID-19 results from other testing facilities cannot be substituted for the university’s program.

Members of the university community who expect to participate in classes, work or visit any on-campus facility in the spring semester must follow the testing protocol. Due to current testing demand, students, instructors and staff are advised to schedule a test at least 36 hours prior to coming to campus for the Jan. 25 launch of the spring semester.

Exemptions from the testing protocol (including for anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days) are available. Complete details, including an FAQ on the program, are available here. For additional questions, send email to covid19@unl.edu.