New Smartphone Tool Allows Californians to Track Virus Exposure

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) contact tracing smartphone app of Britain's National Health Service (NHS) is displayed on an iPhone in this illustration photograph taken in Keele, Britain, on Sept. 24, 2020. Carl Recine/Illustration/Reuters

California is launching a new digital tool that alerts people if they come into contact with someone who has tested positive for the CCP virus. 

On Dec. 7, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that Apple and Google smartphone users will be able to activate CA Notify, which uses Bluetooth technology to exchange random codes between phones without revealing the user’s identity or location.