• Viktor von Wyl, Marc Höglinger, Chloé Sieber, Marco Kaufmann, André Moser, Miquel Serra-Burriel, Tala Ballouz, Dominik Menges, Anja Frei, and Milo Alan Puhan.
• Epdemiology, Biostatistics & Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.
• JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2021 Jan 6; 7 (1): e25701.

BackgroundDigital proximity tracing apps have been released to mitigate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus known to cause COVID-19. However, it remains unclear how the acceptance and uptake of these apps can be improved.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the coverage of the SwissCovid app and the reasons for its nonuse in Switzerland during a period of increasing incidence of COVID-19 cases.MethodsWe collected data between September 28 and October 8, 2020, via a nationwide online panel survey (COVID-19 Social Monitor, N=1511). We examined sociodemographic and behavioral factors associated with app use by using multivariable logistic regression, whereas reasons for app nonuse were analyzed descriptively.ResultsOverall, 46.5% (703/1511) of the survey participants reported they used the SwissCovid app, which was an increase from 43.9% (662/1508) reported in the previous study wave conducted in July 2020. A higher monthly household income (ie, income >CHF 10,000 or >US $11,000 vs income ≤CHF 6000 or ConclusionsEliminating technical hurdles and communicating the benefits of digital proximity tracing apps are crucial to promote further uptake and adherence of such apps and, ultimately, enhance their effectiveness to aid pandemic mitigation strategies.©Viktor von Wyl, Marc Höglinger, Chloé Sieber, Marco Kaufmann, André Moser, Miquel Serra-Burriel, Tala Ballouz, Dominik Menges, Anja Frei, Milo Alan Puhan. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (http://publichealth.jmir.org), 06.01.2021.

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