The UK scrambles to launch its COVID-19 contact-tracing app, after getting derailed by Apple and Google
The UK has a fight on its hands to launch its official coronavirus-tracing app in the coming weeks, thanks to limits set by Apple and Google on how such apps work. The government has already announced the app and it is thought to be in advanced stages of development. But a new system announced by Apple and Google means that the app may not be able to track people's phones as closely as UK officials would like. The NHS is in discussions with the two tech giants over its app, sources said, which is expected to launch in the coming weeks. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories . The UK has a fight on its hands to launch its much-vaunted contact-tracing app, which would monitor people diagnosed with or reporting COVID-19 symptoms and alert those they had been in contact with. The experimental digital arm of the NHS — NHSX — has been developing a tracing app for some weeks, but was blindsided by a joint announcement last week by Apple and Google on a contact-tracing system that sets limits on how invasive such apps can be on iPhones or Android devices.
The UK scrambles to launch its COVID-19 contact-tracing app, after getting derailed by Apple and Google
The UK has a fight on its hands to launch its official coronavirus-tracing app in the coming weeks, thanks to limits set by Apple and Google on how such apps work. The government has already announced the app and it is thought to be in advanced stages of development. But a new system announced by Apple and Google means that the app may not be able to track people's phones as closely as UK officials would like. The NHS is in discussions with the two tech giants over its app, sources said, which is expected to launch in the coming weeks. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories . The UK has a fight on its hands to launch its much-vaunted contact-tracing app, which would monitor people diagnosed with or reporting COVID-19 symptoms and alert those they had been in contact with. The experimental digital arm of the NHS — NHSX — has been developing a tracing app for some weeks, but was blindsided by a joint announcement last week by Apple and Google on a contact-tracing system that sets limits on how invasive such apps can be on iPhones or Android devices.