Apple today released the fourth beta of iOS 13.5 / iOS 13.4.5 for developers published and made a change to the COVID-19 opt-in interface.
When Apple added the new "COVID-19 Exposure Notifications" section last week, it simply contained a toggle to disable or enable the feature and a brief information text. But now this section has been expanded and the description is much clearer. It was previously possible to activate the feature even if no corresponding app was installed on the iPhone. Today's version changes that. This means that if you don't have a corresponding tracing application installed on your iPhone, you won't be able to activate the feature. The field is grayed out. It says:
Update provides clarity
The “Contact Log” can only be activated if an authorized app is installed that can send contact messages.
Apple further explains in the description:
When enabled, iPhone can exchange random IDs with other devices over Bluetooth.
The random IDs your device collects are stored in a contact log for 14 days. This exposure log allows an app you authorize to notify you if you may have been exposed to COVID-19.
If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19, you can share your own device's random IDs with the authorized app so it can notify others anonymously.
With the help of this update and the expanded description, Apple is now providing more clarity. This also underlines the fact that this is an opt-in function. In addition, Apple seems to want to add the feature to the iPad as well. A corresponding note at least indicates this intention. (Photo by Maridav / Bigstockphoto)
