Apple, Google join hands to make Covid-19 contact tracing tech for smartphones

New Delhi: Apple and Google are joining hands to create technology that leverages smartphones for contact tracing activities for Covid-19, Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai, CEOs of Apple and Google, respectively, announced via a press release. “Given the urgent need, the plan is to implement this solution in two steps while maintaining strong protections around user privacy,” the companies said in a blog post.

To build the technology, the two companies will be developing application program interfaces (APIs) that allow interoperability between Android and iOS, their respective operating systems. This will happen in May and will enable apps from public health authorities to function across the two platforms. “These official apps will be available for users to download via their respective app stores,” the companies said in a blog post.