#Apple ios update contact tracing software

The government had initially intended to develop a homegrown contact-tracing app, but switched to Google and Apple’s more privacy-focused model last June. It is now clear that the government either misunderstood how it can leverage the technology provided by Google and Apple, or was hoping to sneak this update in the back door and get people to opt-in to a centralized approach without providing transparency about exactly what they were doing. However, it seems that in reality, the feature would require a centralized repository of data to be amassed by the authorities. The Department of Health claimed that the UK’s app would continue to handle data in a private and decentralized manner even if users shared their check-ins to protect fellow users.

Ray Walsh, a digital privacy e xpert at ProPrivacy, said it appeared the government was trying to trick the public into believing their data would be handled appropriately: But privacy advocates have slammed the location-tracking plan. In the meanwhile, it is reassuring to know that big tech companies are stepping up and filling the gaps left in what has been a lackluster Federal response to this point.A spokeswoman for the UK’s Department of Health told the BBC that the new feature had merely been “delayed” and that the app’s core functionality has not been impacted. With any luck, one of the vaccines currently on the fast track will prove to be successful. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that we'll be rid of COVID-19 anytime soon, so we'll be seeing more enhancements like these in the weeks and months ahead.

#Apple ios update contact tracing software

If you don't have it yet, just open up your Settings app, then go to General  Software update and follow the prompts from there. The latest update is available right now. It's a small change, but a welcome one, especially since wearing a face mask often causes the facial recognition function to fail. The changes to FaceID will immediately prompt you to enter your PIN if the software fails to recognize your face, as opposed to making you jump through that hoop multiple times before finally displaying the PIN prompt. It enables a contract tracing API that health official can use to build apps designed to help fight the spread of COVID-19.Īs to the new feature itself, it provides you with an anonymous way to alert others that you've come in contact with over the last 14 days, should you contract the virus and test positive.

This new feature is an outgrowth of that partnership. Some months ago, Apple and Google announced a partnership that saw the two tech giants collaborating on a number of projects related to the pandemic. Also, it contains an important new COVID-19 Contact Tracing feature. In addition to the usual fare though, it also makes an important change to the way FaceID works for users wearing a mask. The latest release of iOS and iPadOS (13.5) is out, and contains the usual variety of bug fixes and modest improvements.