Again, I'm at a point where I can be a thorny pain in the ass about stuff like this, but you carrying a smartphone, even though you (presumably?) know it's evil means that people can do things like this - expect you to download some large blob of unknown code that you're going to run.
As long as they don't encounter people who literally can't comply, it's fine. It works for them.
I mean, I would have refused to download an unknown app I'd never heard of, but... if I pull out a clearly-not-a-smartphone, what are they going to make me do? Go down the street to Best Buy, buy a phone, and come back?
What if your phone was too old to run the app (which looks like a steaming pile, based on reviews)?
Unless there was something in the application documentation about "owning a modern smartphone and being willing to install random applications as required by the university," I would have plopped right down, pulled out a laptop, and started making phone calls to figure it out.
But, again, I'm at a point in my life where I can be a thorny pain in the ass about stuff like this without any real consequences.
I’m starting graduate school in the fall. A few weeks ago, I went in to pick up my new college ID card. The security guard would not let me into the building until I downloaded an app called “Everbridge” on my phone and used it to answer a series of health screening questions (ie, have you tested positive for COVID in the past 14 days).
The app was for iOS and Android. There was no web version. There was no option to fill out a paper form. I was not warned in advanced. But I guess it wasn’t a problem for anyone (including me), because who the heck doesn’t have a smartphone? It’s like having a wallet now—an expected requirement for modern life, even in situations when an analog solution could have worked just as well.