In the wake of dreading the COVID-19 outbreak, Apple and Google have teamed up to help people fight out the pandemic. The two leading tech giants first introduced basic “Exposure Notifications” (back in April this year), which required users to install an app from the local health authority. Now, they have launched a far more efficient contact-tracing system called “Exposure Notifications Express” which delivers exposure alerts even without an app. If you want to help the public health authorities combat the pandemic and even safeguard yourself, don’t fail to activate COVID-19 contact-tracing on your iPhone.
- How Does COVID-19 Contact Tracing Work on iPhone?
- Does Exposure Notifications Offer Essential Privacy?
- Is Exposure Notifications Available Everywhere?
- Turn On/Off Exposure Notifications on iPhone
How Does COVID-19 Contact Tracing Work on iPhone?
iPhone uses Bluetooth to store a log throughout the day. Once the Exposure Notifications is enabled, the device looks for other iOS and Android smartphones that have Exposure Notifications turned on. According to Apple, the device keeps a rolling 14-day log of their shared identifiers.
Exposure Notifications Express ensures the privacy of your personal information remains secure. It uses random, rotating Bluetooth identifiers to figure out if you may have been exposed to someone who has reported a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
Unfortunately, Exposure Notifications is not yet available everywhere in the world. Though the contact-tracing feature no longer requires you to install a local health department app, the support from the local health authority is still a must.
Turn On/Off Exposure Notifications on iPhone
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone running iOS 13.7 or later.
That’s pretty much it! If the contact-tracing system is available in your region, it will confirm that the feature is now active. Just in case, the feature is not yet rolled out in your region/country, it will let you know that it hasn’t yet been released/supported there.
So, that’s how you can enable contact-tracing on your iPhone in iOS 13.7 or later. At a time when the entire world is struggling to take control of the deadly pandemic, a feature like exposure notifications seems to be a boon. If executed effectively, it can play a good role in preventing the spread of COVID-19.