Apple and Google Accelerate Release of Joint COVID-19 Contact Tracing API
Apple and Google are moving up their timeline to release the first version of their cross-platform contact tracing API to developers next week. The accelerated rollout aims to support public health agencies in their efforts to track and slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Apple and Google are accelerating the release of their jointly developed contact tracing API, making it available to developers by April 28. Apple CEO Tim Cook shares this updated timeline during a video conversation with European Commissioner Thierry Breton, pushing the release ahead of its original mid-May target to address the urgent need for pandemic tracking tools.
The cross-platform system works across iOS and Android devices to help public health agencies track potential COVID-19 exposure without compromising user privacy. It uses randomized IDs rather than real identity information and operates as a decentralized network that deliberately avoids collecting any geographic location data from participants.
This initial release represents the first of a two-phase rollout that focuses solely on providing the API to developers. The second phase, which arrives later this year, integrates the contact tracing capabilities directly into the operating systems themselves, allowing users to opt-in and participate in local health efforts without needing a specific app already installed on their device.