How to Manage COVID-19 Exposure Notifications on iPhone

May. 7, 2020

When the going gets tough, the tough get going! In what could be a massive show of strength against thedreading COVID-19 pandemic, the two major tech titans – Apple and Google – have joined hands to introduce Coronavirus contact tracing on iOS and Android. Designed tohelp governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus, this health-centric feature ensures contact-tracing aka “Exposure Notifications” remains secure and private. If you want to take the help of it to fight out the pandemic, let’s head over to learn how you can manage COVID-19 exposure notifications on your iPhone!

Turn On/Off COVID-19 Exposure Notifications on iOS

Wondering how the contact-tracing kicks in? It would be better to sort out a few questions upfront.

First and foremost, the COVID-19 contact-tracing is thepart of iOS 13.5, which is currently in developer beta. It uses Bluetooth, and notGPS, to work seamlessly. By default, the exposure notification is disabled. However, you can choose to turn on/off the Apple and Google’s exposure notification on your iOS device as and when you want.

What else do you need to use contact tracing?Well, you will need toinstall an app from your local health authorityand allow it to use Bluetooth data. Apple and Google have also stated that they are working to make the contact-tracing feature work without the need to install a third-party health authority app, but that won’t translate into reality until later this year.

Another thing worth noting up front is thatcontact-tracing won’t be available everywhereduring the official launch. But given how crucial this feature is, we expect it to get rolled out in most countries before long.

Once you have enabled the contact-tracing feature on your iPhone, the device willexchange random IDs other devices via Bluetooth. It will enable an app to alert you if you may have been exposed to COVID-19. If you ever (unfortunately) get diagnosed with Coronavirus, you can easily share your device’s random IDs with the authorized app so that it can notify others anonymously.

What about the privacy of your sensitive information?Well, Apple says that the exposure logging can neither access any health data nor will it be able to add any data to the Apple Health app. Furthermore, the collected random IDS are stored in the exposure log for 14 days. But don’t worry, you can choose to wipe out the entire exposure log as and when you want.

2. Now, scroll down and tap onPrivacy.

3. Next, tap onHealth.

4. Next up, tap onCOVID-19 Exposure Logging. Now, turn on the toggle forExposure Logging.

Keep in mind, you will require an authorized app to be able to enable this feature. On this very screen, you should see the option to delete the exposure log. Just in case you want to remove the log for any personal reason, you can delete it.

That’s pretty much it! I guess you have now got a good hang of how this crucial feature will work. So, make the most of it to take control of the virus or at least fight it out in a mature way. As we are talking about Coronavirus, I would recommend you to check out thecool dance learningandmusic learning appsas they can let you turn the self-quarantine into a great opportunity to master dancing or enhance your music skill. Oh yes, there are also some reallynice iPhone 11 cases that can let you disinfect your device.

An old school bibliophile who turned a tech nerd out of obsession. When he is not digging into hacks and tracking down stories that are breaking the internet, you may find him reciting poems.