Apple's latest iOS update is now live.
AppleHonestly, I thought we were done with iOS updates, didn’t you? But this one is special. It’s designed to help with that current universal preoccupation, Covid-19. With this app, if you choose to opt in, your phone can quietly, in the background, take note when you come into close contact with others. If someone later tests positive for Covid-19, your phone can let you know. Cool, huh? Here’s what in the update, and how to get it.
Oh, and for an in-depth look at how the contact tracing system works, check out fellow Forbes contributor’s expert analysis here.
How to get it
I know, I know, you don’t need me to tell you this at this late stage in the iOS 13 game, but, just in case, here’s what you do.
Go to the Settings app. Choose General, then Software Update. Click on Download and Install, and let your iPhone (or iPad in the case of iPadOS 13.7) work its magic.
What’s in the update?
This update is all about Covid-19 exposure notification, specifically the arrival of Exposure Notification Express, though there are bug fixes and performance improvements, too.
When Google and Apple created their Application Programming Interface (API) for exposure tracing, it required users to download the appropriate health authority app to their phone before anything was possible. This API was included in IOS 13.5.
The downside to this system is it means it requires a determined user to ensure they have the right app before they can benefit.
When it was first announced, Apple and Google said that later in the summer they’d be updating things so the exposure tracing would be built into iOS or Android, so a step was taken out of the process. After all, for systems like these to work, they need strong take-up.
This update now puts the Exposure Notification Express capability into iOS itself. It will provide simpler deployment of regional exposure notifications by Public Health Authorities, without the need to develop or maintain a custom app.
But, you might ask, don’t you still need the health authority app? Here’s how it works.
With iOS 13.7, the iPhone can now, if you opt in to this, spot when you have encounters where you are less than 6 feet away from others by your phones swapping encrypted tokens. The system will send out and listen for these Bluetooth beacons, but without requiring an app to be installed. If, later on, someone you’ve been next to tests positive for Covid-19, then a match is detected and you will be notified. If you haven’t already downloaded an official public health authority app then you will be prompted to download the appropriate official app and advised on next steps. Only public health authorities will have access to this technology and their apps must meet specific criteria around privacy, security, and data control.
If at some point you are positively diagnosed with COVID-19, God forbid, then you can report that diagnosis within the app, and with your consent your beacons will then be added to the positive diagnosis list. User identity is not shared with other users, Apple or Google as part of this process.
Some things to note:
1. The system is completely opt-in, so you don’t have to do it.
2. No location data is shared – the app is not monitoring where you are at any point, merely noting which phones you come into contact with.
3. It’s anonymized so your identity isn’t shared with anyone along the line. It’s only when you put your details in the relevant health authority app that anyone knows who you are.
Why is this important? If someone you’ve come into contact with has Covid-19, then the sooner you find this out the better. You can test to check whether you have it and if you do, potentially self-isolate sooner, which helps everyone.
How Exposure Notifications work.
Apple GoogleIn a statement, Apple and Google told me: “As the next step in our work with public health authorities on Exposure Notifications, we are making it easier and faster for them to use the Exposure Notifications System without the need for them to build and maintain an app. Exposure Notifications Express provides another option for public health authorities to supplement their existing contact tracing operations with technology without compromising on the project’s core tenets of user privacy and security. Existing apps using the Exposure Notification API will be compatible with Exposure Notifications Express, and we are committed to supporting public health authorities that have deployed or are building custom apps.”
Any other updates?
Yes, Apple says there are new Memoji stickers and now there’s iCloud Drive folder sharing from the Files app. “This update also contains bug fixes and improvements,” Apple says. But really, this update is about Covid-19 Exposure Notification Express.
The previous iOS 13 updates
iOS 13.6.1
This update landed on August 12, 2020 and was a minor update addressing small but significant issues. Some iPhone users were experiencing a green tint, part of a thermal management issue which is fixed here.
It also sorted issues with unneeded system data files not being deleted. Additionally, Exposure Notifications were being disabled for some users. In the light of iOS 13.7, such a fix was crucial.
iOS 13.6
Released on July 15, 2020, it introduced: Virtual Car Keys to let you unlock compatible vehicles with your iPhone or Apple Watch on the car. You can use the same mechanism to start the engine, too.
Additionally, HealthKit was modified so new symptoms such as fever tracking, headaches, chills and sore throat can be included.
And there was a refinement to the way you update your iOS software. Until now, there was a single toggle to choose between automatic updates being turned on or off, now there’s a more sophisticated choice. There are two toggle switches. One for automatically downloading the updates and another one to install the updates overnight, if you wish.
The News app gained an update, too. A new tab called Audio has appeared and News+ subscribers can listen to stories read aloud.
iOS 13.5.1
Apple released iOS 13.5.1 on Monday, June 1, 2020. It had just one function: to fix the vulnerability that made jailbreaking a possibility. Jailbreaking is popular with people who want to add features not available to regular iPhones, such as widgets, different themes and more.
If there had been any doubt of the purpose of this update, it’s now confirmed that it prevents jailbreaking using the unc0ver method. Though there are many people who like the freedom jailbreaking permits, it also exposes a device to more attacks, so the vulnerability that makes the jailbreak possible can also be exploited by malicious hackers. Jailbreaking is not illegal, though it can invalidate your warranty. And it could also leave your iPhone open to attack.
iOS 13.5
Released on May 20, 2020, this was a big update with a lot in it. Most important of all, it had the framework for the Apple and Google COVID-19 exposure notification app, which potentially can save lives. It also updated FaceID so that you can use it with a face mask in place – it offers up the passcode screen much more quickly when Face ID recognizes you have a mask on. And there was an improvement to Group FaceTime.
iOS 13.4.1
This update hit the iPhone on April 7, 2020 and was brimming with fixes and bug squishes. Chief among these was a fix for a previously introduced issue with FaceTime calls where such calls didn’t work on earlier versions of iOS and macOS. The helpful new feature which lets you choose Bluetooth from the Quick Actions menu had been playing up and this was addressed, too. Oh, and an iPad-specific issue with the flashlight was also sorted.
iOS 13.4
Released on March 24, 2020, this was a huge update with lots of new features. For example, Mail has had its toolbar significantly improved, and if you’re replying to an encrypted email, your reply will be encrypted, too.
The sister to iOS 13.4, iPadOS 13.4, included trackpad support so that the latest iPad Pro can be used in a more laptop-like way than ever. A feature that came and then went away, iCloud Folder Sharing, came back again so you can share documents easily. New Memoji stickers arrived with nine new choices, including party face and hands pressed together. Universal purchase support arrived for the App Store, meaning you can buy an app so it works on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Apple TV all together, assuming the app supports this. As for Arcade games, recently played ones will appear in the Arcade tab so you can keep playing on each platform. Though there was no mention of CarKey, the super-cool element predicted previously which suggested you could unlock and drive your compatible car just by using your iPhone, there was extra information in the CarPlay Dashboard and support for other navigation apps in the CarPlay dashboard. The keyboard now supports predictive typing for Arabic in this version and there were plenty of bugs fixed, too
iOS 13.3.1
This landed on Wednesday, January 29. One of the main focuses was on the U1 chip. It’s on the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max and is a cool piece of kit. It allows you to AirDrop to a nearby iPhone 11 more easily. But it transpired that this chip continued to track user location even when location services were turned off. A toggle in Settings means you can turn off Bluetooth, Wi-fi and Ultra Wideband.
There were plenty of fixes. The first fix related to Screen Time and Communication Limits. Previously, it was possible for someone to get round the Limits without entering a passcode. That’s been sorted as has an issue with Deep Fusion photos, a Face Time problem, distorted sound in some cars using CarPlay, push notifications not coming through on wi-fi and connectivity issues for users on the British O2 network. Problems in Mail were also fixed. Finally, Apple added Indian English Siri voices for HomePod.
iOS 13.3
Released on Tuesday, December 10, this big-number update had a bunch of changes. It updated the layout for some newspapers in Apple News+, improved Screen Time parental controls (though a further fix was needed in iOS 13.3.1) and improved the Stocks app. Beyond that, it was all fixes and bug squishes, including how video clips are created, support for security keys, repaired an issue in Gmail, sorted an issue in text entry using the long-press on the space bar to allow a moveable cursor and resolved an issue in Voice Memos.
And as proof that hardware is affected by software, some wireless chargers were charging more slowly than they should. This software update should have aimed to fix that.
iOS 13.2.3
This was the last update before the new iOS 13.3. It went live on Monday, November 18, 2019. A smallish and unexpected update, it aimed to fix problems, including the following. System searches inside Mail weren’t working quite right, nor in Files or Notes. This update sought to fix this. Similarly, where Messages had an issue with displaying photos and attachments, this update was there to sort it. Apps that weren’t downloading content in the background before were resolved in this update, hopefully. Oh, and Exchange accounts that weren’t getting new messages or other content were the focus of this update, too.
iOS 13.2.2
Released on Thursday, November 7, 2019, this update sought to fix the way apps running in the background kept quitting. It also tried to get rid of temporary loss of cell signal, and fixed how some encrypted email messages between Exchange accounts were unreadable.
iOS 13.2.1
Don’t worry if you missed this one. Unless you have a HomePod, you literally wouldn’t have seen it. It was there to fix issues caused by iOS 13.2 which made some HomePods turn into useless, oversized paperweights. What that update had meant to do was add new HomePod features. These arrived in all their glory with this corrective update, when iOS 13.2.1 went live on October 30, 2019, just 48 hours after iOS 13.2. Something of a record, surely?
With iOS 13.2.1 HomePods were granted the ability to recognize different family members’ voices, music could be added to HomeKit scenes, you could hand off music, podcasts and phone calls just by bringing your iPhone near to the HomePod. Oh, and if you like ambient sounds, these arrived in this update, with the facility to set a sleep timer to these restful noises.
iOS 13.2
A big update, this. released on Monday, October 28, 2019. Marquee features include Deep Fusion, a new camera feature that improves images taken in medium and low light. Siri Privacy settings were updated with this release - also an important step forward. Foundations were laid for the new Research app which could have a big impact on health data collection. Oh, and scores of new emoji were set free. AirPods Pro in-ear headphones are supported in this release. More features including Siri reading out your messages were also included.
iOS 13.1.3
This was another surprise release, out on October 15, 2019. It was aimed at fixing issues more than anything else. Some devices didn’t ring or vibrate when a call came in – kind of important for a phone, right? That was fixed in this update. As was an issue with Voice Memos not downloading or problems where meeting invites didn’t open in Mail. A U.K.-focused repair was made so that Health data would display properly after British Summer Time ended (which was yesterday, October 27, by the way).
Issues which saw the Apple Watch not pairing with an iPhone and notifications not coming through to the Watch were also fixed. Other fixes included apps not downloading after an iCloud Backup and better connectivity between Bluetooth hearing aids and Apple devices. Launch performance of apps in Game Center were addressed and one relating to Bluetooth connectivity in certain vehicles. Lots of fixes, then.
iOS 13.1.2
September 30, 2019 was the release date for this recent update, just one weekend later than 13.1.1. It’s another bug fixer to do with iCloud Backup, for instance which showed a progress bar even after being completed. A malfunctioning camera was fixed here, too, as was the flashlight failing to initiate. Like in 13.1.3, this update sought to address an issue with Bluetooth dropping on some vehicles. There was also a display issue for the iPhone and a fix for problems running shortcuts from Apple HomePod.
iOS 13.1.1
This update launched on September 27, 2019. The big element was a fix for the flaw which led some third-party keyboards access the iPhone even when permission hadn’t been granted.
It also offered a solution to problems with battery drain, rather in contrast to the battery life gain which iOS 13 is all about.
Restoring from a backup was a problem in this update as well as the latest one. Siri recognition is better and syncing in Reminders shouldn’t be slow any longer.
iOS 13.1
This came out on September 24, 2019 and sought to fix issues and squish bugs such as problems opening the camera properly, improperly behaving wallpapers, text entry issues and so on. There was also a fix to a battery management problem. New features included activating the U1 chip in the latest iPhones which gives the handsets a form of spatial awareness, improving AirDrop immediately and with other benefits set to follow. The Shortcuts app also saw extra support and more features. The facility to send your ETA to others from Maps was added.
iOS 13
Released on September 19, 2019, this was a very big release with an awful lot in it. For full details, read the indepth analysis here.
Features include:
Dark mode to make the iPhone’s interface less glaring in a low-light environment, for instance. App developers can integrate Dark Mode into their apps so that the iPhone has a consistent look. Sign in with Apple lets you sign up to apps with your Apple ID and Apple will keep the site or app at arm’s length. You can sign in using Face ID or Touch ID as appropriate. Maps has been updated with a new street-level look and in-depth mapping on selected cities.
Photos and Camera apps have been seriously altered with a new look to the Photos tab and significant editing upgrades. Siri sounds more natural and will offer personalized recommendations. Reminders has been completely overhauled, and Notes has a new gallery view. Find My combines Find My iPhone and Find My Friends. It will help to locate offline devices, too.
QuickPath is the new way to enter text by swiping. It’s very cool.
Text editing has been improved, though the elegant magnifying glass which used to appear when you touched a word, making it visible even though the word itself was hidden under your thumb, say, has gone. I hope it’s coming back soon.
Among the miscellaneous treats are a pro-active system that tells you which apps have been accessing your location, for example. A message says how often it has done so in a set period of time and you can leave things as they are or adjust. It’s a very simple but highly reassuring detail.
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The Link LonkSeptember 02, 2020 at 12:10AM
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Apple Releases iOS 13.7: Surprise Update With Indispensable Covid-19 Upgrade - Forbes
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