Apple Tweaks Exposure Notification Toggle in iOS 13.5 Beta 4

Apple in the third iOS 13.5 beta introduced support for the Exposure Notification API it's developing with Google along with a toggle to enable it, and in the fourth beta of iOS 13.5 introduced today, Apple has tweaked the interface to make it more clear how exposure notification logging works.

exposurenotificationprivacy1

Image via 9to5Mac

In this beta, when accessing the ‌Exposure Notification‌ toggle located in the Health section of the Privacy part of the Settings app, Apple now makes it clear that the exposure notification logging feature can't be turned out without an accompanying app installed.

In a country where exposure notification is available, the new Exposure Logging toggle is grayed out and cannot be activated without an authorized app installed, as seen in the screenshot above.

You cannot turn on Exposure Logging without an authorized app installed that can send Exposure Notifications.

When enabled iPhone can exchange random IDs with other devices using Bluetooth.

The random IDs your device collects are stored in an exposure log for 14 days. This exposure log allows an app you authorize to notify you if you may have been exposed to COVID-19.

If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 you can choose to share your own device's random IDs with the authorized app so it can notify others anonymously.

In a country where there are no apps that take advantage of ‌Exposure Notification‌, there's different wording letting you know the feature is not available and no toggle to turn on at all.

exposurenotificationprivacy2
Beta users in the United States and other countries will see the warning about ‌Exposure Notification‌ not being available in the country as of yet because there are no apps that take advantage of ‌Exposure Notification‌ that can be downloaded at this time.

When health apps that use the ‌Exposure Notification‌ API are released, the Privacy section of the Settings app will also list the active ‌Exposure Notification‌ app that's installed.

Related Forum: iOS 13

Popular Stories

iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple 'Sherlocked' These Apps at WWDC 2025

Wednesday June 11, 2025 7:14 am PDT by
Apple at WWDC previewed a bunch of new features coming in its updated operating systems, but certain changes will have been met with dismay by third-party developers who already offer apps with equivalent or similar features. In other words, their product has been "sherlocked" by Apple. When Apple creates an app or a feature that has functionality found in a third-party app, it is referred...
maxresdefault

Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2025 in 10 Minutes

Monday June 9, 2025 5:21 pm PDT by
At today's WWDC 2025 keynote event, Apple unveiled a new design that will inform the next decade of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS development, so needless to say, it was a busy day. Apple also unveiled a ton of new features for the iPhone, an overhauled Spotlight interface for the Mac, and a ton of updates that make the iPad more like a Mac than ever before. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...

Top Rated Comments

Trik Avatar
67 months ago

Will never work. People will will toggle that they are infected (for a laugh or maliciously) and set off a ripple effect. You just KNOW that will happen.
You need a code from a testing center to kick off the "I tested positive" aspect of the tracing.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jensend Avatar
67 months ago

Will never work. People will will toggle that they are infected (for a laugh or maliciously) and set off a ripple effect. You just KNOW that will happen.
It doesn't work like that.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LoadStar Avatar
67 months ago

If you are potentially infected and/or asymptomatic, you wouldn’t report that you have COVID, so therefore the existence of the contact-tracing schema in your scenario is utterly pointless.
Completely and totally missing the point of all of this.

[LIST=1]
* Someone gets tested and confirmed sick.
* They send out the alert to others that they’ve been in contact with through a contact tracing app.
* Those people that receive the alert might not know they could be sick and highly contagious, because they aren’t symptomatic (yet).
* Those people then get tested.
* If they find out that they are sick, they can isolate themselves until they are well, instead of continuing to unknowingly spread the disease.


Not sure what is bad about any of that.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Awesome Avatar
67 months ago
Nice that they clarified how it works in the Settings app itself. There’s a lot of misinformation regarding Exposure Notifications.
(A lot of people haven’t read the specification but insist they know everything about it.)
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
67 months ago

Will never work. People will will toggle that they are infected (for a laugh or maliciously) and set off a ripple effect. You just KNOW that will happen.
Nope. Can't happen. As an aside, that's quite a projection on your part!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Trik Avatar
67 months ago
Well some of you got your wish, this only works if you have an app installed, worried that really cripples the functionality. You have to opt in before you ever know you're sick. And judging from the responses I've seen here, I worry a large portion of the population is never going to do that.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)