that’s what the alerts would look like if you’ve been exposed

Apple and Google announced a few weeks ago their plans to work together to develop a coronavirus infection tracking system. This project comprised two phases: first, the launch of an API for iOS and Android that would allow the different apps to access these tracking tools in a secure and native way, and second, the creation of a broader platform for contact tracking based on Bluetooth.

A few days later, they confirmed more details about its availability and operation, and today, have finally shown a prototype of the application. It should be noted that the interface is not definitive, but it serves to give us an idea of how the alerts will be configured and displayed per contact.

Multiple permits, but no location

In order to privacy policyThe first thing Apple and Google have made clear is how public health authorities around the world will be able to use their future coronavirus contact tracking system. To gain access to the new API, public health authorities will, for example, have to commit to use the applications only for the pandemic of coronavirus, and not for other purposes such as sending targeted advertising.

They should also minimize the amount of data they collect by requesting the multi-stage user consent and without asking permission to use the smartphone’s location services. In addition, only one application per country will be allowed, although exceptions may be made for countries with a regional health system. However, once the pandemic is over, Google and Apple will disable the system.

This warning system, provisionally called “exposure notice”The Bluetooth connection between the various phones is required to track the possible contacts of a patient with coronavirus. As we know, Google and Apple will be in charge of developing an interoperable API and the bluetooth platform, but the creation of the final applications in each country is up to the different national or regional public health authorities.

The captures in this article, provided by both companies, correspond to a prototype, not a final applicationbut they show us what a hypothetical application developed by a country on this platform might look like. As you can see in them, the registration process is similar in iOS and Android, as well as the method to voluntarily notify the app of a positive coronavirus.

In that case, the platform would notify the people who have been close to us in the last 14 days. In this sense, the applications they could ask for a verification code provided by the health authorities to prevent us from introducing a false positive.

From there, the phones of those who have been near someone infected would show the alert with the dates and times when the contagion may have occurred. However, the traceability function can be activated and deactivated at any time from the phone’s settings or configuration menu.