Apple: COVID-19 Screening App Gets Health Info Symptom Sharing With the CDC

Apple updated its COVID19 screening app to version 4.0 yesterday but it didn’t seem to come with any user-facing changes based on the release notes.

One interesting improvement, as it turns out, is the ability to share symptoms and health details with the CDC anonymously. The release notes for yesterday’s update of Apple’s COVID-19 app just say version 4.0 “includes bug fixes and improvements.”

But Apple was curious to move the app from version 3.1 to 4.0 without any notable changes. As mentioned by TechCrunch it turns out there is a noticeable change with the new version of the app, the ability to share the health information and symptoms with the CDC anonymously.

“new features to allow users to anonymously share info including their age, existing health conditions, symptoms, potential exposure risks, and the state in which they’re located. This info, which is not associated with any of their personal identifying data in any way according to the company, will be used in an aggregated way to help inform the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and improve the organization’s COVID-19 screening protocol.”

This update also applies to Apple’s online edition of the screening tool, COVID-19. Apple has been updating its COVID19 screening app regularly with new features and the latest official CDC guidelines. Apple’s screening program COVID-19 is a free download from the App Store.