COVID-19 contact tracing apps will only be effective across borders if states and countries can readily share data, and a collaboration could soon make that happen in the US. iMore reports that Apple, Google, and Microsoft are working with the Association of Public Health Laboratories to launch a national server to store keys and help exposure notifications reach people across states. It would be based around Apple and Google’s exposure alert framework, while Microsoft and APHL would host the server.

The move could harmonize apps across the country and help people who travel across state lines. It could also help “eliminate duplication” and save states the cost and time involved with setting up their own servers, the APHL said.