Apple and Google are preparing to roll out the second phase of their Covid19 contact-tracing system. This one will allow users to receive notifications about their exposure to Covid-positive people without needing to install a specific app.
The capability, in other words, will be built directly into the operating software of smartphones. The foundations of the software were built into iPhones and Android devices in May.
Google announced earlier this month that it has partnered with Apple to develop tools that 20 U.S. states (covering approximately 45% of the country’s population) were “exploring” using to conduct their contact-tracing operations on their populations.
The company also reported that 16 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, have used the Exposure Notifications System (ENS), as it’s called, to develop their own contact-tracing tools.
Photo by Marco Verch