After a recent interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook, European Commissioner Thierry Breton told the press that the first version of Apple and Google’s joint COVID-19 tracking API will launch on April 28th.
Initially, this update was promised for May, but it looks like the two tech giants are hoping to complete it a few days early.
The tool will come as an update for both iOS and Android devices. Once it arrives, you can turn it on and use it to tell if you’ve been in the proximity of someone with COVID-19.
It won’t give away who that person is, but it should help people be more aware of their surroundings.
This service will work in conjunction with governments’ health care apps to push alerts to people when they’ve nearby someone with a positive COVID-19 case. It uses Bluetooth tech to scan for nearby people while still ensuring to keep that data anonymous.
In Canada, the only current form of “contract-tracing” is volunteers calling people manually. The government is still deciding whether it will use technology to track the spread of the virus, and is currently assessing different options. It’s still unclear if Health Canada plans to utilize this API in its COVID-19 Android and iOS app.
For Apple users, the report says that this app will come as part of an iOS 12 or iOS 13 update. Android users will need to update their Google Play Services to get the app.
Once users have these features, they’ll need to opt-in before they start working. In the future, the tech giants will work to roll this out as part of their respective mobile operating systems.
Source: 9to5Mac, iGeneration
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