Apple and Google are working together on a tracking system against COVID-19

Apple and Google announced that they're working together to the realization of a new comprehensive contact-tracking system in order to track the outspread of Coronavirus within communities. The system will work both on iOS and Android devices. 

The tracking system will need the collaboration of all Governments in the world and their public health providers - and will be deployed in two key stages. The first stage will allow every smartphone to "feel" the presence of other smartphones around (with a radius of about 100 meters) through a unique identification code (ID). This code will be registered with a Bluetooth service and its data will be preserved into its system, including their temporary indications.

The next step will involve the public health providers: when the owner of a smartphone would be tested positive to COVID-19, he/she could send the ID of his/her smartphone to an online database managed by Institutions. This data will be confronted with the other IDs with whom it came in touch. Then, a notification will warn everyone who has been in contact with the "patient zero" of the possibility of having contracted the virus.

It's not the development of a new application, though of a standard system that will give space to every Country's Institutions to build their personal apps and manage their own database. It's evident that this system will work only if there will be cooperation between the two giants of communication, Governments, public health providers and (last but not least) citizens.

“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”, said the two companies in a joint statement. “Through close cooperation and collaboration with developers, governments and public health providers, we hope to harness the power of technology to help countries around the world slow the spread of COVID-19 and accelerate the return of everyday life.”

Both the companies make sure that their prerogative will be the best respect of privacy: the IDs will be completely anonymous.

For now, Apple and Google predict that they will not see results until May. Apple will make the system available through regular update of iOS devices (including iPads), while Google through its app store. If someone would not be involved in this tracking system, he could freely choose to deactivate ID from the Settings of his smartphone.