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That could make it a lot easier for people to have it on their phones, even if the public health agency hasn’t developed a compatible app.
The tech giants announced on Tuesday, September 1, the launch of the second phase of their “exposure notification” system in the United States, designed to automatically alert people if they have been exposed to the virus.
So far only a handful of places around the world have started using the company’s framework, most of which are in Europe.
In the United States, each state can decide whether to adopt the Apple-Google system. By doing so, iPhone users will be able to automatically participate in the program without having to download an application and will receive a notification requesting their consent to activate the system on their cell phones.
For people with Android phones, Google will automatically generate an app for public health agencies that users can download.
Apple and Google said they expect Maryland, Nevada, Virginia and Washington, DC to be the first in the United States to launch the new version of their tool. Virginia says nearly half a million residents have downloaded the app since the state became the first to launch a Google-Apple pandemic app in August.
The technology relies on Bluetooth signals to determine whether a person has spent time with someone who has tested positive for the virus. The two people in that situation must be using the Google-Apple application. More than geographic location, the system is based on proximity. Apple and Google say the app doesn’t reveal personal information to them or to health agencies.
Individuals who receive such proximity alerts will be offered tests and recommendations to prevent future spread.
EWN recently reported on “SHOCK discovery of Covid’s secret tracking app.”
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