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Apple Maps will soon show COVID-19 testing locations closest to you

Apr 14, 2020, 19:53 IST
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  • Apple Maps is working on a new feature that will show the nearest COVID-19 testing locations.
  • Apple released a form this week calling on healthcare providers, labs, and other businesses that administer COVID-19 tests to submit their locations.
  • It's not yet clear how soon the feature will be available, but most testing sites in the US are just now opening.
  • The company is also partnering with Google to build a contact-tracing API that would notify users when they've come in contact with a person carrying COVID-19.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Apple Maps will soon show people the nearest COVID-19 testing locations in their area.

It's not clear how soon the new feature will roll out, but this week Apple asked healthcare providers, labs, and other businesses giving coronavirus tests to register with Apple Maps, 9to5Mac first reported.

Apple's form asks testing sites to indicate whether people need an appointment or doctors' referral to be tested, meaning that information could also be included in the Apple Maps interface.

Apple

The new feature comes as Apple is in the process of building an ambitious contact tracing API along with Google that would use Bluetooth to notify users when they've come in contact with people carrying COVID-19.

Apple Maps' new feature might not be useful to the bulk of users in the US, where coronavirus testing still lags behind other nations. President Donald Trump promised last month that Walgreens would have drive-thru testing locations, and the company announced last week that it would soon expand to 15 testing locations in seven states. Walmart is also expanding to 20 testing locations in 10 states, the company announced last week.

In its FAQ for the new feature, Apple wrote that it is "working to verify and add as many testing locations as we can, as quickly as possible."



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