The move marked a major partnership between the top two mobile operating system competitors in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. Platform updates to enable the COVID-19 contact tracing feature on iOS and Android were publicly released 40 days later on May 20.

states are committed to supporting the Exposure Notifications API in iOS and Android apps, which states are against using the contact tracing method, and which states are undecided.

Learn how iPhone and Android Exposure Notifications and contact tracing works.

Each public health authority in each country or region must first agree to adopt Apple and Google’s Exposure Notification API.

Next the health authority must create an iOS and Android app for their region dedicated to supporting Exposure Notifications.

In the United States, rather than creating a single contact tracing app, the decision to support Exposure Notifications is made by each state’s public health authority.

states to express interest in Apple and Google’s Exposure Notifications API for assisting COVID-19 contact tracing.

The following information is based on inquiries sent to state governor’s offices and state health departments on May 20, 2020 following the public release of iOS and Android updates to support the Exposure Notification API.