Apple-Google partnering COVID-19 contact-tracing technology

Across the world, governments and health authorities are working together to find solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, to protect people and get society back up and running.

Software developers are contributing by crafting technical tools to help combat the virus and save lives.

In this spirit of collaboration, Google and Apple are working on a joint effort to enable the use of bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus, with user privacy and security central to the design.

Since COVID-19 can be transmitted through close proximity to affected individuals, public health officials have identified contact-tracing as a valuable tool to help contain its spread.

A number of leading public health authorities, universities, and NGOs around the world have been doing important work to develop opt-in contact tracing technology.

Under Scrutiny: mobile technology for contact-tracing

To further this cause, Apple and Google are launching a comprehensive solution that includes application programming interfaces (APIs) and operating system-level technology to assist in enabling contact-tracing.

Given the urgent need, the plan is to implement this solution in two steps while maintaining strong protections around user privacy.