Apple and Google continue to develop their application programming interface (API) which should facilitate the implementation of contact tracing applications, in the context of the Coronavirus pandemic. France has chosen not to rely on the solutions offered by Apple and Google for its StopCovid project. Other countries, such as Germany and Switzerland, seem more willing to use it. For Paris, the choice of another protocol less dependent on the APIs of Apple and Google is a question of national sovereignty.
Wednesday evening, Apple and Google published, as they are used to, a documentation on the technological specificities related to the use of Bluetooth for tracing applications and data encryption. Only developers mandated by health authorities will be able to access the APIs from Apple and Google to offer such applications. The two companies say they want to encourage developers and health authorities to provide feedback to improve the APIs.
Beta versions
From a technical point of view, Apple releases the first version of Xcode 11.5, a preliminary version of Apple's development tools. In addition, the company is releasing beta 3 of iOS 13.5, which contains the code necessary to run applications created using the Exposure Notification API. Google is doing the same, with the first update of Google Play services with the Exposure Notification API, to select developers who can start testing using Android Developer Studio.
For the moment, it is therefore not a tracking application developed by Apple and Google but rather an open program allowing the development of such applications. For the two groups, whose operating systems equip almost all smartphones on the market, the challenges are multiple. They both want to protect the integrity of user data that will be exchanged through its applications. It is also a question for these groups of showing their good will, and putting themselves at the service of States which, sometimes, strongly criticize them.