Google and Apple cooperate on COVID-19 contract tracing system

With at least some form of a lockdown in place in many countries, one of the big questions is how we'll be able to return to the way life was before the COVID-19 pandemic. With no cure being available and a possible vaccine at least one year removed from us, there's no easy way out but a lot of countries seem to be basing their exit strategy around a couple of common aspects.

Besides more testing, which will include tests to see who is infected and serological tests to detect those with immunity, a lot of countries are looking at apps. In Asia, various governments have used apps to curtail the spread of COVID-19 but in the West this approach is facing more scrutiny as a lot of experts and citizens are concerned about the privacy impact of sharing your whereabouts with the government.

A couple of days ago, it was reported that Google and Apple are cooperating on a common coronavirus tracking system that will support Android and iOS phones, thus supporting pretty much all smartphones that are in use today. Apple and google will roll out their APIs in mid-May. In a later phase, the tracking system will become part of the Android and iOS operating systems. Data will be shared with public health authorities and the system will warn users if they've been in close contact with a confirmed infected person. The tracking system will use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and will work in concordance with approved apps from health organizations.

Apple and Google will introduce a pair of iOS and Android APIs in mid-May and make sure these health authorities’ apps can implement them. During this phase, users will still have to download an app to participate in contact-tracing, which could limit adoption. But in the months after the API is complete, the companies will work on building tracing functionality into the underlying operating system, as an option immediately available to everyone with an iOS or Android phone.

Today The Verge adds that Google will update its coronavirus tracking system via Google Play Services. This will ensure speedy updates for all phones running Android 6.0 and newer.

Google says that its update system will apply to both phases of the Bluetooth contact tracing framework — the initial API rollout, which is due next month, and the next stage, which will see the APIs built into the OS. The companies will say only that the second stage will arrive “in coming months.”