UK ditches homegrown Covid-19 tracing app to use Google-Apple model

The NHS app, which was being tested on the Isle of Wight off the southern coast of England, was found to work well on Google's Android operating systems but not on Apple iPhones. — Reuters

LONDON: Britain will switch to the Apple and Google model for its Covid-19 test-and-trace app, ditching an attempt to develop an app by itself after the homegrown system did not work well enough on Apple's iPhone, the government said on June 18.

The test-and-trace programme is key to reopening the country but has been dogged by problems. A smartphone app developed by the UK National Health Service (NHS) was initially expected to be rolled out nationwide in May but did not materialise.