New Apple tool maps mobility data trends

Apple is aggregating data from the Apple Maps app, with the goal of helping governments and health authorities as they attempt to limit the spread of Covid-19.

On Tuesday, Apple released a new mobility data trends tool that aims to provide insights to governments and health authorities as they attempt to limit the spread of Covid-19.

The tech company said that the data and insights may be useful as a foundation for public policies, by suggesting the change in the number of people driving, walking or taking public transit in their communities.

Like Google’s data released earlier this month, the Apple data is searchable by country, region and city. Apple’s mobility reports are published daily and reflect requests for directions in Apple Maps.

The company said that the data aggregated in these reports is not associated with any user’s Apple ID and does not keep a history of where users have been. It added that data is sent from users’ devices to the Maps service with random, rotating identifiers so that Apple doesn’t have a profile of any user’s movements or searches.

“The information is generated by counting the number of requests made to Apple Maps for directions,” the company said. “The data sets are then compared to reflect a change in volume of people driving, walking or taking public transit around the world.”

However, it’s worth noting that not every user who inputs an address into Apple Maps is going to visit the final destination.

The company has also updated Apple apps and services with information about Covid-19, and is prioritising grocery, food delivery and medical services on Apple Maps searches.

Partnering with Google

Apple has also joined forces with Google to enable the use of Bluetooth technology for a contact-tracing system to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus. In May, the two companies plan to release APIs that enable interoperability between Android and iOS devices for an opt-in tracing tool.

The two firms said they will work to enable a broader Bluetooth-based contact-tracing platform, while ensuring that user privacy and security is central to the design of this new project.