Apple and Google in 'standoff' with UK health service over COVID-19 contact tracing app

It's only been two days since I commented on this new app from the NHS. Maybe the communication wasn't as inaccurate as it sounded at the time. Turns out NHSX weren't aware of Apple and Google's technology when they first embarked on the project but by the time of the briefing that was given to the public, they would have been.

NHSX – the British health service's digital innovation unit – reportedly wasn't aware of Apple and Google's project before it was announced, and it now looks like the usefulness of its own app will be severely hampered or even rendered non-functional if it doesn't implement the protocol.

That's because without adhering to the Apple and Google API, a contact tracing app won't be able to access Bluetooth when it's running in the background, and would only work when the app was open and the phone unlocked.