Apple Seeds Fourth Betas of iOS and iPadOS 13.5 to Developers With Exposure Notification API, Face ID Mask Updates and More [Update: Public Beta Available]

Apple today seeded the fourth betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.5 updates to developers, one week after seeding the third betas and over a month after releasing iOS and iPadOS 13.4 with iCloud Folder Sharing, iPad trackpad support, and more.

Covid Notifications Feature
iOS and ‌‌iPadOS‌‌ 13.5 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer center or over the air after the proper developer profile has been installed.

iOS and iPadOS 13.5 introduce the exposure notification API designed by Apple and Google, which is designed to allow public health authorities to create COVID-19 contact tracing apps that are meant to slow the spread of the virus.

The API Apple has introduced is for health-related apps that will incorporate the new API, but there is a toggle in the Settings app that is designed to allow users to opt out of participating in COVID-19 exposure notifications.

Along with laying the ground work for the exposure notification API and accompanying apps, iOS 13.5 makes it easier to unlock an iPhone with a passcode when wearing a mask, as many people are wearing face coverings at the current time.

With the update, the passcode interface pops up more quickly when an ‌iPhone‌ detects that a mask is obscuring the face after a user swipes upward, so it's quicker to get into an ‌iPhone‌ using a passcode than before.

There's also a tweak to Group FaceTime, with Apple introducing a new toggle to disable the feature that automatically enlarges the tile of the person who is speaking. By default, Group ‌FaceTime‌ has a dynamic view with a tile for each person, and the person speaking has a larger tile while other tiles fade into the background.

facetimeautomaticprominence
An "Automatic Prominence" section in the ‌FaceTime‌ portion of the Settings app allows this to be disabled, displaying all of the people using ‌FaceTime‌ in a grid with equal-sized windows regardless of who is talking. A tile can be enlarged with a tap.

Earlier betas have introduced a new Apple Music feature that allows ‌Apple Music‌ songs to be shared on Instagram Stories. Tapping the Share button on a song in ‌Apple Music‌ creates a story with a song title, album name, and animated background, but at this time there is no way to get to ‌Apple Music‌ from the shared information.

applemusicshareinstagram
iOS 13.5 also patches two security vulnerabilities that affect the Mail app on the ‌iPhone‌ and the ‌iPad‌. One vulnerability allowed an attacker to remotely infect an iOS device by sending emails that consume a significant amount of memory, while another allowed remote code executions.

The update may also address an issue with Personal Hotspot that prevents it from working for some people and it could also fix a VPN-related vulnerability, both of which are bugs that Apple has promised to address in upcoming iOS updates.

Top Rated Comments

Mutepointer Avatar
47 months ago

Huh? You been around here a few years, you know how the beta process goes.....
semi stable when they release a public beta, meant to be tested, battery life never has good as release versions due to debugging.... cmon man
Plus this beta came out 12 minutes ago, how would someone know if its good yet?
Seems you didn’t get my joke? Don’t worry, my friend.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mutepointer Avatar
47 months ago
The updates beta be good. Get it? Beta? ?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
47 months ago
Sheltering in place is making the little things in life more appreciated....like beta updates.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Itada Avatar
47 months ago

and Apple is releasing an opt-out built-in tracking mechanism?
... it's opt-in.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adrianlondon Avatar
47 months ago

The updates beta be good. Get it? Beta? ?
Well, you've lost your status as an alpha male.


Just to clarify...virtue-signalling (a made up word) has to do with looking good...not doing good.
All words are made up.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnny Jackhammer Avatar
47 months ago

COVID-19 contact-tracing apps are just another example of virtue-signalling nonsense that will do more harm than good.
That feature makes no sense. "Random number" implies that you won't be personally identified—come on people—yet they know you have been infected because you've taken the initiative to download an app where you've entered that fact? Then, presumably, while you are infected you are walking around town infecting others. So, you're concerned enough to go to the trouble of letting Apple/Google/Government know you are infected via apps, but not concerned enough to self-isolate??
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
anker new xmas 1

Anker's Cyber Week Sale Enters Final Days With Up to 60% Off Sitewide

Friday December 1, 2023 12:05 pm PST by
Anker's Black Friday/Cyber Week event is entering its final days this weekend, and it's still offering up to 60 percent off sitewide. There are also a few "mystery boxes" that can include hundreds of dollars in savings, if you're willing to risk not knowing what you're buying ahead of time. All of these sales will end on December 3. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you...
General Apps Messages

Green Bubbles on iPhone to Gain These 7 New Features Next Year

Thursday November 30, 2023 9:00 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it will finally support RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting later next year. This change will result in several improvements to the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices. RCS will become the new default standard for messaging between iPhones and Android devices, but these conversations will still have green bubbles like...
top stories 2dec2023

Top Stories: iOS 17.1.2 Released, NameDrop Misinformation, and More

Saturday December 2, 2023 6:00 am PST by
Apple employees are back to work following a Thanksgiving break, and that means this week saw a number of new operating system updates for both public release and beta testing. This week also saw some misinformation about Apple's new NameDrop feature making the rounds, while Apple and Goldman Sachs appear to be on the verge of a break-up in their Apple Card and savings account partnership,...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....
iphone 5g mmwave

Apple's Work on 6G Connectivity Already Expanding

Monday December 4, 2023 7:00 am PST by
Apple's work on implementing 6G cellular connectivity on its devices appears to be ramping up, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Apple is increasingly turning its attention to 6G, even amid its widely reported difficulties developing a custom 5G cellular modem. In 2021, the first highly specific Apple job...