Apple's Exposure Notification API Now Available in iOS 14 With Fourth Beta Update - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple's Exposure Notification API Now Available in iOS 14 With Fourth Beta Update

As of today, the iOS 14 beta supports the Exposure Notification API, which will let iOS 14 users download ‌Exposure Notification‌ and COVID tracking apps in countries where those apps are available.

exposure notification cartoon
‌Exposure Notification‌ support was added in the fourth beta released this morning, and it is listed as a feature in the update's release notes.

‌Exposure Notification‌ was released as an iOS 13.5 update back in May, but the API was not added to iOS 14 until today, which prevented iOS 14 users from being able to download and use apps that take advantage of the ‌Exposure Notification‌ API.

That wasn't a major issue when only developers were able to download iOS 14, but it became a problem when the public beta was released and more people had iOS 14 installed as none of those people could use contact tracing apps.

‌Exposure Notification‌ now works on both iOS 13 and iOS 14, with apps that use the API available in Canada, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Croatia, Denmark, and more.

For more on ‌Exposure Notification‌ and how it works, make sure to check out our Exposure Notification guide.

Related Forum: iOS 14

Popular Stories

iOS 28 AI

Apple Taking New Approach to Developing iOS 28 and macOS 28

Sunday November 8, 2026 7:42 am PST by
Apple has made a change to its development process for iOS 28, macOS 28, and corresponding software updates, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, he said Apple separates development of each year's new operating systems into three major stages. Typically, he said each stage consists of four weeks of coding followed by a four-week "convergence" period where...
apple pro tell logo

Apple Launching Two More New Products This Friday

Monday November 9, 2026 4:22 am PST by
The Apple launches keep coming! The company is set to release two new products on Friday, November 13: the all-new Apple HomeView and the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, both of which have been available to pre-order since mid-October. Apple HomeView: Apple's new smart home display, powered by Apple Intelligence with Siri AI, for entertainment and managing the home. Available in tabletop and...
Apple Store Downtown Detroit

Apple Store Subscription Sign-Up Controversy Exposed

Sunday November 8, 2026 7:28 pm PST by
In a series of YouTube videos shared over the past two weeks, electronics technician and consumer rights advocate Louis Rossmann has exposed a controversy in which some Apple Store employees have allegedly signed up customers for auto-renewing subscription trials for Apple One and other services without their informed consent. Here is how the process works at Apple Stores in the United...

Top Rated Comments

82 months ago

Honest question: What do you do if you are notified that you may have been exposed? Quarantine yourself? Get tested each time? That seems impractical and unnecessary. I'm sure it generates a lot of interesting data, but for what?
That's right, getting tested and quarantining yourself until you get the result.
The notification is actually more nuanced than many people think. I've seen instances when you get the info you had 1 possible contact, meaning you met a person that was later confirmed positive, but you haven't been around for more than 10 minutes. This is a mild risk. When there's a high risk, not getting tested and self quarantining could require getting your family and / or co-workers infected.
That's both unethical and a lot more unnecessary.

Worst case: The whole exposure notification doesn't help much.
Best case: You prevent yourself from infecting someone else.

We're one species, one planet. Let's work together on this, people!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Buran Avatar
82 months ago
Great. Now if we could actually make use of it in the home country of Apple and Google...
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmilo Avatar
82 months ago

Honest question: What do you do if you are notified that you may have been exposed? Quarantine yourself? Get tested each time? That seems impractical and unnecessary. I'm sure it generates a lot of interesting data, but for what?
Uncle of my bf: DEAD
Uncles brother: DEAD
2nd brother: DEAD
step grandpa of my bf: infected
bfs mum & dad: unknown, cuz they refuse to test them unless they show symptoms even though they were in the house helping the sick grandpa

so yeah, any attempt in helping so slow down the spread is good enough for me
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
82 months ago

I don't see why we should be trusting the government with this - or even why we should be looking to the government to do this. I'd trust Apple (and even Google) to release their app for anyone to use. I'd install it in a second. Instead we have to wait for the states (in the US) to create apps.

There are open source apps using this with the source on GitHub. Hey, Apple, Google, just open it up so that anyone can use the app without the need for some government involvement. If they had done this in May, everyone worldwide would have at least one app to use.
The nature of the app requires getting the test results from the health authority.

If Apple and Google offered an app that serves "honor system" data, where infected individuals enter the data manually, the app would be untrustworthy ("the boy who cried wolf").

Apple and Google actually made and offers sample app that essentially requires just the back-end integration, but the US government either disagrees with using tech for contact tracing or hasn't prioritized the project.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
82 months ago

Honest question: What do you do if you are notified that you may have been exposed? Quarantine yourself? Get tested each time? That seems impractical and unnecessary. I'm sure it generates a lot of interesting data, but for what?
You should schedule a test and otherwise keep social distancing. It may be impractical and feel unnecessary but it is really implemented in order to protect people.
While you may think you may "beat this" there are a lot of elderly and people with poor health that will probably not make it. I, for one, am primarily following the guidelines in order to protect my own family but in doing so others will benefit too
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
82 months ago

Unfortunately the majority of at-risk people have old devices and cannot install these apps or OS version. Sadly Apple does not seem to be concerned.
It's not just about software, but also hardware. The protocol utilizes Bluetooth to detect those around you. Bluetooth has evolved through several versions, and older devices will have older Bluetooth versions which may not support the type of signalling that's requiring. (I don't know). Then there's battery capacity, with many turning Bluetooth off to extend battery life, again rendering the detection of those around you null and void.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
'Apple Support Community' Permanently Closing on November 20
'Apple Support Community' Permanently Closing on November 20
4 hours ago
Apple's Holiday Gift Guide Highlights iPhone Duo and More
Apple's Holiday Gift Guide Highlights iPhone Duo and More
7 hours ago
Three Workers Die at Tata iPhone Parts Plant in India
Three Workers Die at Tata iPhone Parts Plant in India
7 hours ago
iCloud Mail, Calendar, Contacts and More Experiencing Outage [Updated]
iCloud Mail, Calendar, Contacts and More Experiencing Outage [Updated]
8 hours ago
Apple's Claris Testing 'Harbor' App for Local AI on Macs
Apple's Claris Testing 'Harbor' App for Local AI on Macs
8 hours ago
iFixit's PROLED MacBook Pro Teardown Reveals Logo LEDs
iFixit's PROLED MacBook Pro Teardown Reveals Logo LEDs
10 hours ago
10 Free iPhone Duo Apps Worth Downloading
10 Free iPhone Duo Apps Worth Downloading
11 hours ago
Apple Releases New AirPods Firmware
Apple Releases New AirPods Firmware
12 hours ago
Amazon Begins Early Black Friday Sale, Featuring Sitewide Discounts on Tech and Decor
Amazon Begins Early Black Friday Sale, Featuring Sitewide Discounts on Tech and Decor
14 hours ago
Apple Announces Swift Student Challenge Ahead of WWDC 2027
Apple Announces Swift Student Challenge Ahead of WWDC 2027
14 hours ago
Next iPad Air Likely to Have These 10 New Features
Next iPad Air Likely to Have These 10 New Features
14 hours ago
iPad Mini 2021 vs. 2026 Buyer's Guide: Is It Worth Upgrading?
iPad Mini 2021 vs. 2026 Buyer's Guide: Is It Worth Upgrading?
15 hours ago
New Apple TV Sign Language Feature Announced
New Apple TV Sign Language Feature Announced
15 hours ago
Disable Touch on MacBook Pro PROLED XDR and When Using Sidecar
Disable Touch on MacBook Pro PROLED XDR and When Using Sidecar
16 hours ago
Anker's Early Black Friday Sale Surprises With Mystery Boxes and Big Discounts
Anker's Early Black Friday Sale Surprises With Mystery Boxes and Big Discounts
16 hours ago
Apple Arcade Adding These Four Games in December
Apple Arcade Adding These Four Games in December
16 hours ago
OLED iPad Air Rumored to Launch in Two Sizes in Early 2027
OLED iPad Air Rumored to Launch in Two Sizes in Early 2027
18 hours ago
The Original iPod Went on Sale 25 Years Ago Today
The Original iPod Went on Sale 25 Years Ago Today
19 hours ago
Apple Maps Could Factor Parking Into Your Arrival Time
Apple Maps Could Factor Parking Into Your Arrival Time
20 hours ago
Waze Now Alerts Drivers to Nearby Cyclists Using Garmin LiveTrack
Waze Now Alerts Drivers to Nearby Cyclists Using Garmin LiveTrack
20 hours ago
iPhone 20 Pro: Ten Big Changes That Could Redefine Apple's Flagship
iPhone 20 Pro: Ten Big Changes That Could Redefine Apple's Flagship
20 hours ago
Here's What Apple Fixed in iOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1
Here's What Apple Fixed in iOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1
1 day ago
Webex Gets iPhone Duo Support
Webex Gets iPhone Duo Support
1 day ago
Meta's Muse AI Agent Comes to Apple Watch
Meta's Muse AI Agent Comes to Apple Watch
1 day ago
Anker Launches Eufy Security Cam With Auto-Tracking Light
Anker Launches Eufy Security Cam With Auto-Tracking Light
1 day ago
macOS 27.2.1 Fixes eMudhra Certificate Flaw in Command-Line Tools
macOS 27.2.1 Fixes eMudhra Certificate Flaw in Command-Line Tools
1 day ago
Anthropic Launches Claude Fable 5.2 and Mythos 5.2
Anthropic Launches Claude Fable 5.2 and Mythos 5.2
2 days ago
Apple Releases macOS Golden Gate 27.2.1
Apple Releases macOS Golden Gate 27.2.1
2 days ago
Apple Releases iOS 27.2.1 With Bug Fixes
Apple Releases iOS 27.2.1 With Bug Fixes
2 days ago
Apple Releases watchOS 27.2.1 and visionOS 27.2.1 With Security Fixes
Apple Releases watchOS 27.2.1 and visionOS 27.2.1 With Security Fixes
2 days ago