Trudeau says govt. working with Apple, Google to help develop COVID-19 contact-tracing app

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the government is "working closely" with Apple and Google when it comes to the development of a COVID-19 contact-tracing app. The two companies have partnered to develop an interoperable Exposure Notification System and API to assist with contact-tracing efforts. Apple and Google have started rolling the system publicly through software updates on May 20. Trudeau claimed the system the companies are working on would serve as an essential base for effective contact tracing or exposure notification app. He said the government is working with different partners to develop the app, suggesting that they are collaborating with other organizations and companies.

"We're working closely with Apple and Google on the update that they will be bringing forward, and it is our expectation that when the time comes for that to be released, we will be able to recommend strongly to Canadians a particular app that will help us manage the spread of COVID-19," he said. The prime minister didn't give a timeline regarding when the app might be released, but we're hoping it will come out sooner.

Source: MobileSyrup

Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup – 5/17 – 5/23

IFA 2020 will be an invite-only event observing strict attendee limits

Bell MTS will bring fibre internet to Morden, Manitoba 

Ubisoft sues Apple, Google for offering 'Rainbow Six: Siege' copycat 

Huawei P40 Pro expected to come to Canadian carriers this summer 

Apple details plans to slowly reopen some of its retail stores 

Koodo introduces 'Call Control' to help weed out spam calls 

Netflix's 'The Umbrella Academy' is coming back for Season 2 on July 31 

Samsung's new 50-megapixel camera sensor packs in faster autofocus 

Apple releases iOS 13.5 for iPhones, iPadOS 13.5, and corresponding tvOS updates 

Ruby Rose leaves The CW's 'Batwoman' ahead of season 2 production 

Rogers donates phones with voice, data plans to women's shelters in B.C. 

Disney+ to release 'The Simpsons' in original 4:3 format on May 28 

Instagram adds support for Facebook Messenger Rooms, letting you chat with up to 50 people 

Epic Games Store offers 'Civilization VI' until May 28 

'Minecraft Dungeons' is an immersive multi-player dungeon crawler 

ViewSonic announces new line of Elite displays designed for gaming 

Google Maps now shows wheelchair accessibility information 

SkipTheDishes shares Canadian food order trends during COVID-19 

Shopify plans to keep company office closed until 2021 

Google Podcasts adds CarPlay support on iOS

Google Podcasts now supports CarPlay on iOS to make it "more easily and safely listen while you drive." It arrives as part of version 2.0 of the app's iOS version. Google Podcasts will now have a simpler interface with three tabs: Home, Explore, and Activity. The Home tab shows you new episodes of subscribed shows, Explore has recommended shows and episodes, and Activity displays your listening history, downloaded podcasts, and queued episodes. You get an option to download new episodes of podcasts you subscribe to automatically. 

The update also brings with it "several bug fixes to improve performance. You can download Google Podcasts here.

Source: 9to5Google

Shopify plans to keep company office closed until 2021

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Ottawa-based Shopify will not be opening its company offices until 2021. CEO and founder Tobi Lutke said in a tweet that for now, the company is "digital by default," saying "office centricity is over." Most Shopify employees will have the option to work remotely permanently after that. The company has over 5,000 employees, as of December 2019, and it briefly became Canada's most valuable company earlier this month. It's the first major Canadian company to allow staff to work from home permanently.

Source: Reuters + iPhone in Canada