In May, Google and Apple introduced a system that will help health agencies trace people infected with COVID-19. Today, the two tech firms announced the availability of "Exposure Notifications Express."
Company officials hoped the new and improved framework of the exposure notifications express, which they say will perform most of the tedious technical work, increases the chances of its adoption by concerned agencies. With the new system, local health agencies no longer need to make individual apps and instead, let Apple and Google do all the work for them, 9to5Google reveals.
One of the major features of the exposure notifications express is allowing the exchange and recording of anonymous Bluetooth identifiers when two individuals are in close-range. If one of them was diagnosed with COVID-19, their devices will transmit a list of everyone they have been in contact with, Washington Post reports.
Another notable function of the exposure notifications express is that it allows a device to regularly download a list of everyone close by who has tested positive for the virus infection. Whenever there is a match, the system informs the owners of the devices and also prompts them to get in touch with health authorities.
Unlike the new exposure notifications express, the old system forces you to download and install an app made available by your local health agencies for your phone to begin sending and gathering information about who you have come in close contact with. According to Google and Apple, there are already over 20 countries and regions that launched the system.
The two companies said that adoption is broader, although a lot of health authorities do not have the technical capacity or additional resources that would allow them to hire developers. Because of this limitation, the need to improve the system arose, hence the development of an improved notification system, which Google and Apple coined as the "Exposure Notifications Express."
The goal of the exposure notifications express is to easily and quickly build a system with the help of health agencies. Google and Apple stated that these agencies need to submit a configuration file to them with fundamental information on how and when notifications are triggered and what are the subsequent steps after an alert is received. Other information that the two tech companies need is the logo of the health agencies and text that the users will see.
The workflow with iOS devices differs but Google promised to create an Android app for the health agency based on the information submitted to the two companies. Google Play Store will then alert users of the availability of the local application. You will then have to install the app in a workflow that is similar to the old system, albeit with new functionalities, and you also need to grant additional permission to the new exposure notifications express.
At this time, you can install Exposure Notifications Express on iOS 13.7 devices, and later this month users can already install it on Android 6.0+ devices. Among the states to first adopt the system in Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, and Nevada. Google and Apple also said that the system is fully compatible with your existing apps.
