Colorado Partners with Google and Apple to Launch Contact Tracing App

At a press conference on Tuesday, Governor Jared Polis announced that Colorado will partner with Google and Apple on a contact tracing app for COVID-19. By the end of September, any resident with a smartphone will be able to activate a service or download an app that will notify them (and anyone they have been in contact with) about any potential exposure to COVID-19.

The Google-Apple Exposure Notification Service, or EN Express, will be available to Apple users through a system upgrade and Android users through an app. The service is voluntary and will not share people’s location or personal information.

Google and Apple are working with Colorado to provide the service for free.

How does it work?

Through the service, phones will exchange anonymous tokens between people who have opted into the app or service and are near each other for sustained periods of time. If someone tests positive for COVID-19, the public health department or test administrator will give that person a code to enter on their phone and that will trigger an automatic notification for anyone who they have exchanged tokens with in the past 14 days, including information about how and where to get tested.


Since the COVID-19 outbreak began in Colorado, CBSA has worked to engage state and local leaders around strategies to implement widespread diagnostic testing, including the use of contact tracing. We are encouraged by the state’s new partnership, and we will keep our community updated as we learn more.

Categories: CBSA News