NITI Aayog makes Aarogya Setu iOS version open source

The Centre has open sourced the code for the iOS version of its COVID-19 contact tracing app Aarogya Setu, over two months after it did so for the Android version. Open sourcing allows developers to scrutinise the code and report bugs if any are found. The code is available on OpenForge, the government's open source platform.

As the iOS code of the Covid-19 contact tracing app developers can inspect and modify it for their own iOS apps.The team behind the Aarogya Setu app announced the release of its iOS source code through a tweet posted on Thursday. The code is available for access through OpenForge. It includes the files enabling the app experience on iOS, though there are no details around the app's server-side code that helps developers understand the operations of the app.

The government initially open sourced the Android version of the Aarogya Setu app in May. At that time, NITI Aayog promised to release the source code of the app's iOS version in the next two weeks. National Informatics Centre (NIC) during the launch also announced a bug bounty programme to incentivise researchers finding flaws in the app.

The app recently introduced an option for users to delete their account and erase all their data. A new update has also brought in an option that will let you share your health data on Aarogya Setu with other health apps.

These new changes are currently available only on the Android app and iOS users will get them soon. Aarogya Setu developers have recently also added a feature that lets you assess risk level based on your Bluetooth contacts.