Evaluation of open access COVID-19 related mobile applications in India: An application store-based quantitative analysis

Purpose: To assess the features/functionalities and quality of the (open access) COVID-19 specific mobile application for India using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) and the quality of the reported COVID-19 data using the COVID-19 Data Reporting System (CDRS). Methods: We used an analytical, cross-sectional study in which we reviewed all open access (free) mobile phone-based applications across the application stores, namely Google Android Play Store, iTunes and Google search engine. We used MARS and CDRS to assess the mobile applications applicable to India. Results: We found a total of 247 applications through the iTunes store (n=176), android store (n=70) and Google search (n=1). Out of 247, 70 applications matched the inclusion criteria, and only 42 applications were accessible for detailed evaluation using MARS. The overall mean (SD) MARS score was 3.27 (0.59). The mean (SD) score for application mean quality, app subjective quality and app-specific quality domains were 3.43 (0.43), 2.95 (0.71), and 3.44 (0.82), respectively. Of the 20 applications evaluated using CDRS, Aarogya (Agra) Sarvam Setu and Odisha COVID had the highest normalized score (0.9), whereas Madhya Pradesh COVID response app and WHO Academy COVID-19 had the lowest (0.1). Conclusion: Though the overall quality of the mobile applications is good, the engagement aspect of the mobile application quality needs improvement. Applications providing comprehensive COVID-19 related services are still lacking. The necessity of the hour is to assess the user’s perspective and the impact of application features on COVID-19 prevention and control, either individually or in groups.