Apple and Google partner on coronavirus contact tracing technology

Apr 13 2020, 9:20 pm

Two major tech corporations are coming together to help trace the travel of coronavirus and notify those who unknowingly come into contact with those carrying the disease.

Announced on the Google blog this weekend, the team has teamed up with Apple to develop coronavirus contact tracing technology.

How does it work? Well, according to Google, a private coded handshake can happen between two phones when they come within viral spreading distance, creating a unique “key” to mark the occasion.

When someone who tests positive for coronavirus puts their diagnosis into a public health application, the cloud-stored set of keys will open from the last 14 days. Anyone who comes into proximity of a positive patient will receive a notification on their mobile device, advising them to seek a health professional, isolate, or be wary of symptoms.

Google Inc.

Google Inc.

Both Apple and Google plan to release completed APIs for their software in May, which is of free-use to health application developers, governments, and more.

“All of us at Apple and Google believe there has never been a more important moment to work together to solve one of the world’s most pressing problems,” reads the post on Google’s blog.

Wyatt FossettWyatt Fossett

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