Apple and Google are working on contact tracking technology to counter COVID – 19.
Government agencies and health services around the world are working together to find ways to counteract the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in order to protect people and help society return to its normal life.
Software developers also contribute by creating technical tools to contain the virus and save lives.
Following the spirit of worldwide collaboration, Google and Apple have begun to jointly develop technology that will help governments and health services use Bluetooth to combat the spread of the virus. The basic principles of the new technology are the security and privacy of users.
As long as COVID ‑ 19 coronavirus can be transmitted from infected people to those near them, health authorities have come to the conclusion that contact tracing is one of the most effective ways to contain the pandemic. The world’s leading healthcare services, universities and nonprofit organizations from around the world are already developing technologies for voluntary contact tracing. To support these efforts, Apple and Google will soon launch a comprehensive solution that will include application programming interfaces (APIs) and operating system-level technologies to help launch contact tracing. Given the urgency of this issue, this solution is planned to be implemented in two stages. First, in May, the two companies will jointly release an API to ensure compatibility between Android and iOS devices when using applications created by health services. Users will be able to download these official tools from their respective app stores. Then, in the coming months, Apple and Google will jointly launch a broader Bluetooth-based contact tracking platform by integrating the relevant functionality into their operating systems. This is a more robust solution than the API: it will give users the ability to enable contact tracing and will provide for interaction with a wider ecosystem of healthcare applications and services. Confidentiality, transparency and voluntariness are the main priorities in the development. Besides, all necessary information on the project will be publicly available.