Apple, Google Announce Partnership for COVID-19 Contact Tracing Technology

The contact tracing technology is being built with the central tenants of security and user privacy.

Here’s more from Apple:

Since COVID-19 can be transmitted through close proximity to affected individuals, public health officials have identified contact tracing as a valuable tool to help contain its spread. A number of leading public health authorities, universities, and NGOs around the world have been doing important work to develop opt-in contact tracing technology. To further this cause, Apple and Google will be launching a comprehensive solution that includes application programming interfaces (APIs) and operating system-level technology to assist in enabling contact tracing. Given the urgent need, the plan is to implement this solution in two steps while maintaining strong protections around user privacy.

Next month, Apple and Google will releases APIs that enabling communication between iOS and Android devices using apps from public heath authorities. Those apps will be available on the App Store and Google Play.

Both companies in the coming months will be working to enable a broader Bluetooth-based contact tracing platform that would also be opt-in.