COVID-19 on xda-developers- XDA Developers

Here are the countries using Google and Apple’s COVID-19 Contact Tracing API

Mishaal Rahman February 25, 2021

SARS-CoV-2, also known colloquially as just the coronavirus, has wreaked havoc across the world. Many countries shut down large parts of the economy in order to contain the spread of the virus. As countries reopen their economies, many health experts fear a "second wave", ie. resurgence, of COVID-19. To prevent a second wave, public health...

Google fixes issues with COVID-19 contact tracing apps on Android

Brandon Russell January 13, 2021

Google confirmed on Wednesday it's investigating issues with Android apps that use the Android Exposure Notifications System to track the spread of COVID-19. Apparently, there’s one issue in particular that’s causing apps to take longer to load or conduct exposure checks. “We are aware of an issue affecting Android apps developed using the Android Exposure Notifications...

Google Play Services 20.50.14 prepares to add support for Wearable Exposure Notifications

Pranob Mehrotra January 6, 2021

Back in August of last year, we learned that the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) was working on a new BLE specification that would make contact tracing possible on wearables like smartwatches. To develop this new specification, over 130 Bluetooth member companies came together to form the Bluetooth SIG Exposure Notification Working Group (ENWG). At...

How to view a map of COVID-19 cases in Google News on Android

Pranob Mehrotra October 23, 2020

Google has added a new section in Google News that shows you a map of COVID-19 cases worldwide. In this section, you can easily check the total number of cases, recoveries, and deaths, along with helpful graphs illustrating the spread of coronavirus in a location, cases over time, and tests conducted. Additionally, the section lists...

Google, Apple introduce Exposure Notifications Express to boost participation in COVID-19 contact tracing

Arol Wright September 1, 2020

Exposure Notifications System is a framework developed jointly by Google and Apple that consists of an iOS and Android API and a Bluetooth Low Energy spec with the goal being to empower public health agencies to develop power-efficient and secure COVID-19 contact tracing apps. Introduced a few months back, ENS is designed to allow you...

Bluetooth SIG is working on COVID-19 contact tracing support on wearables

Pranob Mehrotra August 19, 2020

COVID-19 contact tracing will soon make its way to wearable devices, according to a recent announcement from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The standards body, which is responsible for defining new Bluetooth standards, has announced that they are working on a new BLE specification that will make contact tracing possible on wearables. Currently, Google and...

[Update: Launches Globally] Samsung launches a UV sterilizer for phones and other gadgets

Joe Fedewa July 7, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has made many people more aware of their own hygiene habits. We're washing our hands after bringing in packages, wiping down our groceries, and using hand sanitizer after touching doorknobs. Gadgets like smartphones and earbuds can be covered in nasty stuff too, which is why Samsung is launching a UV sterilizer to...

Huawei releases its “Contact Shield” API for COVID-19 contact tracing

Mishaal Rahman June 8, 2020

As many countries around the world are lifting their stay-at-home orders, public health agencies are scrambling to implement contact tracing to limit a resurgence of COVID-19. Several app-based contact tracing solutions have arisen in the past few weeks, some of which are based on Google and Apple's Exposure Notification API, and now developers of public...

Google Maps gets new safety features for navigating during the coronavirus pandemic

Joe Fedewa June 8, 2020

You've probably heard enough about how we're living in "unprecedented" and "challenging" times, but it's true. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed nearly every aspect of our daily lives, especially when it comes to leaving our homes. Navigating the outside world can be extra complicated these days and Google Maps is adding some new features to...

Screenshots reveal Facebook for Android’s dark mode, COVID-19 tracker, and more

Joe Fedewa June 5, 2020

While many popular apps already have dark modes, Facebook has been taking its sweet time. The company rolled out dark mode for Instagram, Messenger, Facebook Lite, and WhatsApp, but the main Facebook app is still waiting. It's not that Facebook hasn't been working on it, we've seen hints of it going all the way back...

Sensory’s new biometric tech aims to make face unlock work with face masks

Joe Fedewa June 3, 2020

The use of face masks is certainly not new, but as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many more people around the world are using them for the first time. This has created some interesting issues in the technology world. People covering half their faces with masks comes at a time when many phones are...

The Honor Play 4 can take your temperature with an infrared camera

Joe Fedewa June 2, 2020

Technology is always evolving to meet the needs of the public. Sometimes it evolves in ways we never could have predicted, and old technology gets re-purposed for new and clever uses. Infrared cameras on smartphones aren't new, but the Honor Play 4 is using the technology in a very pertinent way. Honor posted a video on...