[nomadking]

Originally Posted by Hugh

No, they’re not - they don’t work perfectly, but they work quite well.

The centralised Apps worked on Bluetooth as well.

The widely touted next step in tackling the coronavirus' spread is a series of phone apps, known as contact-tracing apps, that are being developed by many governments around the world. But France, which is hoping to release its app in May, says there's one big obstacle standing in its way: Apple. More specifically, the tech giant's Bluetooth and privacy policies.
French government ministers have been in talks with Apple over Bluetooth restrictions, but aren't making progress, Digital Minister Cedric O told Bloomberg in an interview published this week. "We're asking Apple to lift the technical hurdle to allow us to develop a sovereign European health solution that will be tied our health system," he said.
The hurdle in question is that Apple doesn't allow apps to constantly use Bluetooth running in the background if data from that app is going to be removed from the device.

The inherent limitations of Bluetooth will make Apple and Google’s contact-tracing apps woefully imprecise, but right now it might be the best solution we’ve got

The U.K. will use Apple and Google’s jointly developed technology for its coronavirus contact-tracing app because Apple won’t change its system to allow the government’s app to work effectively on iPhones.
“As it stands, our app won’t work, because Apple won’t change the system,” the U.K.’s health secretary, Matt Hancock, said Thursday.
Apple only allows the app to use Bluetooth when the app is open and in use, but in order for the app to be able to track who has passed close to a potentially infected user it needs Bluetooth to remain active even when the app is closed.