Malcolm Owen
Apple has released iOS 13.7 and iOS 13.7 to the public, an update to the iPhone operating system that includes changes to the Exposure Notification feature, removing the need to install a public health app beforehand.
Available to download just six days after the only betas were offered for testing and confirmed for release earlier on Tuesday, the over-the-air update for iOS 13.7 and iPadOS 13.7 can now be installed on iPhones and iPads. It is offered as an automatic installation for users who have set up their devices in that way, and can also be installed manually via the Settings app.
The key change for the version is a new feature to allow users to opt in to Apple's Exposure Notification system without needing to download an app produced by their country's public health authority. However, the feature will still require the relevant public health organizations to support it for it to work.
A developer framework built by Apple and Google for both iPhone and Android devices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the system works by collecting anonymous Bluetooth identifiers from devices that get close to the user's own smartphone. The identifiers are stored locally on the device rather than on a centralized server, though that data will be used to help warn those other users with an alert if the user is infected.
The use of Bluetooth identifiers and decentralized storage is to help ensure user privacy, as is the lack of location recording.
Part of the changes is Exposure Notification Express, where Apple will present localized health instructions to users in the case of suspected exposure. Again, this is done without requiring an app to be installed, but it will require some involvement by public health authorities.
While the developer framework is only usable by a public health organization, the update will assist in cases to help collect data for areas that do not currently have an official app, or one exists but the user declined to install it.
Wesley Hilliard
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Andrew O'Hara
5 Comments
With the Exposure Notification Express being released today both companies are reminding us that all of the original privacy protections still extend to the Express version.
"Users must explicitly enable exposure notifications, nothing is enabled by default. No location data is shared and the system does not share your identity with other users, Apple, or Google. All matching is done on-device and users have full control over whether they want to report a positive test."
This contradiction in terminis and all (supposed) privacy concerns makes this function near-worthless compared to a simple 1.5m alarm
And they still didn't fix the home sharing. What a waste of time and can't even go back to 13.5. Left me no choice but to either keep suffering or become their beta tester for 14. But again, their actual releases are no different than their beta releases, so I might just jump on to the beta ship for now.
This version of Exposure Notifications completely lacks user friendliness.
I installed 13.7 on my iPhone, tapped "Turn On Exposure Notifications", selected my region and it gave me a message. I was in a hurry and now don't remember what it said (possibly that it was not available in my region, but I'm not sure). I thought I would look at it in more detail later. Now when I go back into "Exposure Notifications" and tap on "Turn On Exposure Notifications" nothing happens. No message to tell me why it doesn't work and no possibility to change the region if I had accidentally chosen the wrong one.
There is also an option for "Availability Alerts" which is disabled. What are "Availability Alerts" and what is their purpose? No explanation is provided although it does say they are "not available because Location Services is turned off in Settings", but Location Services is not turned off in my settings. Does it mean "Location-Based Alerts" is turned off and if it does mean that why doesn't it say that? If it means something else then it should properly explain what it means.
I expect better from Apple.