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

apple intelligence black

Report: Apple's AI Strategy Could Finally Pay Off in 2026

Tuesday December 30, 2025 9:01 am PST by
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues. The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
apple fitness 2026 1

Apple Teases 'Something Big' Coming Soon to Apple Fitness+

Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+. What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year? Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+ The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here 2026 Plans Still Under ...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With a Rough iPhone Fold Mockup

Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Users Report Static Speaker Noise While Charging

Tuesday December 30, 2025 10:39 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max owners are having trouble with the speakers of their devices, and have complained about a static or hissing noise that occurs when the iPhone is charging. There are multiple discussions about the issue on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and Apple's Support Community, where affected users say there is a noticeable static noise "like an old radio." Some people report...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
samsung glitter blue

Samsung's Year End Sale Introduces Major Discounts on Popular Monitors and TVs

Monday December 29, 2025 6:29 am PST by
Samsung kicked off a new end-of-the-year sale this week, introducing great deals on monitors, TVs, Galaxy smartphones, and home appliances. Many of these deals are the exact same all-time low prices we tracked during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep ...
iOS 26 Glass Feature

The 5 Most Important Apple Software Features Introduced This Year

Tuesday December 30, 2025 1:00 am PST by
2025 was a significant year of advancement for Apple's software, with a noticeable focus on visual design, productivity, and communication. While Apple introduced and continued to iterate on a wide range of features throughout the year, several additions stood out for their scope and practical impact across multiple devices. As the year comes to an end, these five new features provide a...

Top Rated Comments

Trik Avatar
74 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
74 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
74 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
74 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
74 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
74 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)