Apple and Google have published an API, which is designed to track contacts and notify people about the risk of contracting the coronavirus. The tool will allow developers to create appropriate applications.
IT-giants do not plan to launch such services. This will be done by developers who officially work with public health organizations.
Some American states and 22 countries on five continents already got access to API.
The API works on the basis of a decentralized system of identifiers. It uses randomly generated temporary keys on the user’s device. They are not tied to any specific identifier.
Apple and Google will allow apps to use the API along with whatever user data is volunteered. This will allow health authorities to contact people at risk and inform them of further action.
The new API will encrypt all Bluetooth metadata so that it cannot be used to identify specific users. The API will prohibit use in those apps that request permission to track device location data.
“One of the new elements of contact tracking is potential exposure notifications: using digital technology with privacy to inform someone that they may have been exposed to a virus. It has the specific purpose of quick notification, which is especially important for slowing the spread of viral diseases that can be carried asymptomatically,” Apple and Google said in a joint statement.
Meanwhile, Apple has released iOS 13.5 and iPadOS 13.5 for the iPhone, iPod and iPad. The iOS updates are mostly related to health monitoring features. These include a new API.
There is also the previously announced simplified access to the secret code field on devices with Face ID when wearing a mask. The password field will now automatically appear after a swipe up on the lock screen. The scheme will work when authenticating to the App Store, Apple Books, Apple Pay, iTunes, and other apps that support Face ID login.
iPhone users in the U.S. can now automatically share health information stored on their phones when they call emergency services.
