UK to use Google-Apple model for tracing app in U-turn - BBC

The British government will abandon the centralised model of its coronavirus test-and-trace app and switch to one based on technology provided by Apple and Google, the BBC reported on Thursday. Apple and Google have been in talks with Britain about the technology, which uses a decentralised model.

The British government will abandon the centralized model of its coronavirus test-and-trace app and switch to one based on technology provided by Apple and Google, the BBC reported on Thursday.

Apple and Google have been in talks with Britain about the technology, which uses a decentralized model. The head of the UK's program said last month a centralized app can potentially give more insight into outbreaks of COVID-19 but offers less privacy than decentralized rivals. Apple and Google have barred authorities using their technology from collecting GPS location data or requiring users to enter personal data.

The firms' model has attracted the interest of over 20 countries, though some of the restrictions they have imposed have frustrated governments as the world's top two smartphone makers undercut the technology's usefulness by prioritizing user privacy. The current UK app is being tested on the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of England.

Ministers have admitted to technical issues with the app, which meant that it was not ready for use in time for the launch of England's test and trace system on May 28. Britain's testing co-ordinator has said the tracing system and the app are "distinct but complementary", and it is advantageous to introduce one before the other.

James Bethell, a junior health minister, on Wednesday, said, with regards to the app, that the government wished to "get something going for the winter", but that it was not a priority. He said that the pilot had gone "very well indeed".