- Apple released a COVID-19 screening app Friday in collaboration with the CDC and the White House.
- The app, called Apple COVID-19, tells people whether to take measures like social distancing or seek out a coronavirus test based on their answers to a survey.
- It also connects people to health resources near them and guidance from the CDC.
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Apple released a new COVID-19 screening app Friday that tells people whether to social distance, quarantine, or seek out a coronavirus test based on their circumstances.
The app is the result of a partnership between Apple, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the White House. It is available on the App Store and online, and iPhone users can access it by asking Siri, “How do I know if I have coronavirus?”
The app guides users through a series of questions about their symptoms, making recommendations based on their circumstances that include practicing social distancing, disinfecting surfaces in their homes, seeking medical treatment, and seeking a COVID-19 test.
Apple’s COVID-19 app is one of the first widely-released products resulting from the federal government’s attempt to harness big tech companies’ reach to combat the spread of coronavirus. While it doesn’t involve any data collection, Apple’s app bears similarities to an app rolled out by the Chinese government and powered by Alibaba that instructs users to self-quarantine based on their answers to survey questions.
Unlike China's app, which lets users opt to send data directly the Chinese government, the Apple COVID-19 app doesn't send data from users back to the US government or to Apple. The app does not require people to sign in with any form of ID, either, according to its privacy policy. Instead, it's intended as a screening tool to provide people with official guidance based on their circumstances.
Here's how it works:
The app greets users with health information from the CDC before they can opt to begin the screening process.
Users are reminded that the app's guidance doesn't override any information they were given directly by a medical professional.
Before screening begins, people with severe coronavirus symptoms are instructed to immediately call 911.
The app guides people through a series of questions about what symptoms they're experiencing.
Users are also asked whether they've traveled internationally in the past two weeks, or whether they live in an area experiencing a coronavirus outbreak.
The app will then make recommendations based on people's answers. This is what the app recommended for me after I reported that I don't have any symptoms but do live in an area with a major coronavirus outbreak (I live in New York City).
The app also delivers a verdict as to whether users need to get tested for coronavirus.
You can download the app via the App Store or find the screening survey on Apple's website.
