COVID-19 contact tracing hits Apple devices with iOS and iPadOS 13.5
Apple released iOS 13.5 and iPadOS 13.5 for iPhones, iPods, and iPads today. They went live alongside minor software updates for Apple TV and HomePod devices. The iOS update mainly adds new health-related features—most notably the much-discussed Exposure Notification API that was co-developed with Google to help local, regional, and national governments enact contact-tracing strategies to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Usage of the contact tracing API is user-optional. Additionally, exposure reports require the user to, once again, opt in to the notification, and it can only be done after the positive result is confirmed by one of the government agencies.
Additionally, iPhone and iPad users who rely on Face ID to access content or services on their devices will find a new, simplified process for logging in if they are wearing protective facemasks that interfere with the face-scanning technology, as previously reported. Users of all supported devices will now be able to change Group FaceTime call settings so that, if a participant is speaking at a given moment, they will no longer cause video tiles to automatically change size. iPhone users in the United States can now choose to share some health information stored on their phones automatically with emergency services when calling emergency services.
