Apps for Covid-19 in Germany: assessment using the German Mobile App Rating Scale

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of apps to help control the spread of Covid-19 in Germany and rate them according to standardized instruments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Apple App Store and Google Play Store were systematically searched to identify apps dealing with Covid-19 in Germany. The German Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS-G) was used to independently assess app quality by 2 trained reviewers. RESULTS: Overall, the quality of the 6 rated apps was good with a mean score of 4.15 (3.88–4.34). The best-rated apps were NINA app (4.34) and Corona Health App (4.29). The best-rated sections were functionality (4.40), aesthetic (4.25), and information (4.25). In contrast, the worst-rated section was engagement (3.63). Even though some of the apps were used by more people than others, there was no correlation between the MARS-G rating and app store rating. In addition, the MARS-G proved to be effective even with rating apps, which have different goals and methods to achieve them. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study that identified and evaluated German Covid-19 mobile health apps available in the German app stores. The review shows that despite the excellent quality in aspects like information and functionality, there is still a gap in the engagement section. To motivate more people to use the Covid-19 apps, new ideas are needed, besides more information and education about the functionality of the apps, to gain trust in app developers and raise the number of downloads.