ArcTouch, a full-service digital product development firm, has announced free app design and development services to help state and country health agencies build and launch contract tracing apps using Apple and Google’s new Exposure Notification system.

“Government health agencies need expert app creators to bring Apple and Google’s Exposure Notification system to life,” says ArcTouch founder and CEO Eric N. Shapiro. “We’re excited to share our expertise with Bluetooth proximity detection — and lend our dedicated team of app designers and engineers to this important work.”

Apple and Google recently released their Exposure Notification API, enabling mobile applications to securely and anonymously log physical proximity between mobile phones — and for people to self-report if they’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19. With this backbone technology, government health agencies can build custom applications for people to privately share a positive diagnosis and anonymously notify other individuals that they may have been exposed to the virus.

ArcTouch, which has been building custom apps for iOS and Android since the dawn of the app store, is offering free design and development services to help any interested government entity build contact tracing apps using the Apple/Google standard. This work would include:

  • Design and development of a custom iOS and Android contact tracing app
  • Integration with Apple/Google Exposure Notification API
  • Development of the notification backend
  • Deployment of a pilot app for testing

Government entities and health agencies interested in learning more are encouraged to contact ArcTouch directly.

ArcTouch also announced the Safe Distancing App Kit, a new app starter kit to help companies and their employees practice safe social distancing as offices begin to re-open. The Safe Distancing App Kit leverages Bluetooth technology in mobile phones and widely available low-cost wearables to monitor the proximity between people and alert them if they are within an unsafe distance for an extended period of time.