--- title: HIV and Syphilis Tests Can Be Done in 15 Minutes Using a Smartphone description: A team of researchers have developed a device that can be plugged into a smartphone and used to test for HIV and syphilis canonical: https://time.com/3696637/smartphone-hiv-aids-test/ author: Helen Regan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-05T04:25:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T04:10:01.876Z article:section: Health og:title: Your Phone Can Now Be Used to Test for HIV og:description: A cheap attachment has the potential to save millions of lives. og:url: https://time.com/3696637/smartphone-hiv-aids-test/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6ef96a9528e4ae6d/69877dc435ba6f784fc06ea6/smartphone-dongle-hiv-test.jpg?branch=production&width=684&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 684 og:image:height: 385 og:image:alt: Blood testing for HIV og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Your Phone Can Now Be Used to Test for HIV twitter:description: A cheap attachment has the potential to save millions of lives. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6ef96a9528e4ae6d/69877dc435ba6f784fc06ea6/smartphone-dongle-hiv-test.jpg?branch=production&width=684&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # There's a Smartphone Attachment That Will Test for HIV in 15 Minutes > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Feb 5, 2015 4:25 AM UTC  Blood testing for HIV Blood testing for HIV Getty Images by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Feb 5, 2015 4:25 AM UTC A team of researchers from Columbia University have [developed](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150204144517.htm) a device that can be plugged into a smartphone and used to quickly test for HIV and syphilis. The mobile device tests for three infectious-disease markers in just 15 minutes by using a finger-prick of blood, and draws all the power it needs from the smartphone, _Science Daily_ reports. The accessory costs an estimated $34 to make and is capable of replicating tests done in a laboratory using equipment that costs many thousands of dollars. Samuel K. Sia, head researcher and associate professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia, described the smartphone accessory as “full laboratory quality.” Because it can be easily used in remote and impoverished areas, like rural Africa, it is hoped the small but effective smartphone accessory will save millions of lives from sexually transmitted diseases. \[[_Science Daily_](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150204144517.htm)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3696637/smartphone-hiv-aids-test/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3696637/smartphone-hiv-aids-test/"},"headline":"There's a Smartphone Attachment That Will Test for HIV in 15 Minutes","datePublished":"2015-02-05T04:25:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T04:10:01.876Z","description":"The device has the potential to save millions of lives","url":"https://time.com/3696637/smartphone-hiv-aids-test/","keywords":["Research","Africa","HIV","Columbia University"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6ef96a9528e4ae6d/69877dc435ba6f784fc06ea6/smartphone-dongle-hiv-test.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Helen Regan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/helen-regan/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6ef96a9528e4ae6d/69877dc435ba6f784fc06ea6/smartphone-dongle-hiv-test.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Blood testing for HIV","caption":"Blood testing for HIV","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/research/","name":"Research"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3696637/smartphone-hiv-aids-test/","name":"There's a Smartphone Attachment That Will Test for HIV in 15 Minutes"}}]}] ```