Technology has become a more than close ally for various events related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Artificial intelligence, facial recognition, or geolocation are some of the main tools that have allowed large companies to improve their applications and even offer APIs to record contacts between users. Apple has used all its arsenal to try to inform and protect the population. Now we know that if a user has visited a US airport, Apple Maps launches a notification recommending staying home for 14 days. These notifications are likely to cross borders and reach Europe in the coming weeks.
Apple Maps does not store your location, only if you have visited an airport
Privacy is key to Apple. That is why this new function allows visitors to an airport to be recommended a 14-day isolation to avoid a possible spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) if they have been infected. Apple ensures that does not store data of the user's location, it just throws the warning when it detects the visit to an airport. It works similar to any other notification related to Apple's geolocations.
In the warning we can read the following:
If you have recently traveled internationally: stay home and monitor your health for the next 14 days.
Following the content we can access the official website of the CDC of the United States with relevant information about symptoms and what to do if a user thinks they have the disease. In this way, Apple aims to make users aware of the importance of social isolation. Especially if we have been able to have contact with someone infected by COVID-19.
This function is important and adds to the dozens of recommendations that each government has offered in recent weeks. However, the notification it is only received if you have visited a US airport. The show is likely to expand to other continents in the coming weeks to reinforce the importance of staying home after international travel.