Apple, Google Collaborate to Provide governments, Health Agencies with Contact Tracing Solution

Google and Apple are collaborating to enable the use of Bluetooth technology to assist governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the coronavirus by enabling them to better identify individuals who may have come in contact with someone infected with COVID-19, a process commonly called contact tracing. The collaboration will see the companies launch a contact tracing solution that includes application programming interfaces (API) and operating system-level technology to enable contact tracing. In May, Apple and Google will release APIs that enable interoperability between Android and iOS devices using apps from public health authorities. In the coming months, the companies will work to enable a broader Bluetooth-based contact tracing platform by building this functionality into the underlying platforms. The solution will allow more individuals to participate and enable interaction with a wider ecosystem of applications and government health authorities.  The companies have stressed that user security and privacy will be integral to the platform.  Participation will be voluntary and consent necessary to run the technology on individual devices.

View the press release