Apple and Google launched a major joint effort to leverage smartphone technology to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

New software the companies plan to add to phones would make it easier to use Bluetooth wireless technology to track down people who may have been infected by coronavirus carriers.

The idea is to help national governments roll out apps for so-called "contact tracing" that will run on iPhones and Android phones alike.

Software developers have already created apps that have been used for so-called contact-tracing in countries including Singapore and China.

Apple and Google plan to release their toolkit in May and say user privacy and security are baked into its design.