Apple and Google Share Sample Code for Coronavirus Contact Tracing System
Apple and Google release sample code and interface concepts to help health agencies build COVID-19 contact tracing apps. The tech giants provide an API framework rather than building the applications themselves.
Apple and Google release sample code and interface screenshots to help public health authorities build COVID-19 contact tracing applications. The tech giants provide an underlying system that uses Bluetooth signals to anonymously notify individuals of potential virus exposure. This approach aims to assist governments in slowing the spread of the coronavirus as people begin returning to work.
The companies clarify that they do not build the actual contact tracing apps themselves. Instead, they create application programming interfaces (APIs) integrated directly into iOS and Android operating systems. This framework allows officially approved health organizations to develop efficient apps without rapidly draining phone battery life, which historically poses a challenge for background Bluetooth tracking on iPhones.
The shared materials serve as illustrative concepts rather than finished software, giving developers a solid foundation to start from without coding from scratch. The official system goes live in mid-May, at which point individual governments and health departments decide whether to adopt this API or choose competing contact tracing methods for their regions.