Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iOS 13.7 update to developers to introduce new COVID-19 Exposure Notification options. The iOS 13.7 beta comes more than a month after the release of iOS 13.6, which introduced Car Keys and Apple News+ audio features.
The iOS 13.7 beta can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or over the air once the proper developer profile has been installed
According to Apple's release notes, the iOS 13.7 beta allows users to opt-in to the Exposure Notification system without the need to download an app that supports the functionality, which is how the feature works on in iOS 14. In iOS 14, there's a toggle to "Turn on Exposure Notifications" which then lets you know if the feature is available in your country, state, or region through a contact tracing app.
Using Exposure Notifications continues to require an app, and Apple says that System availability still depends on support from the local public health authority, but iOS 13.7 makes it easier to figure out whether an app is available to you. It also adds a dedicated Exposure Notification section to the Settings app, rather than burying the feature in the Privacy section of Settings.
There's also a new iPadOS 13.7 beta that has been released alongside iOS 13.7, and as iPadOS does not support Exposure Notification, that update focuses on bug fixes and performance improvements.
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 12:45 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014.
This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
This is surprising. I kind of thought 13.6.1 (with perhaps another minor update to 13.6.2) would be the end of the line for iOS 13, especially with iOS 14 coming to all devices that support iOS 13. Maybe a sign that iOS 14 won’t be released until late September or October?
Is there even any mass use of this? Not to mention who would actually use it? By the time all this becomes even remotely useful the pandemic will most likely be behind us.
The U.S. has at least a couple more years before this thing is resolved.
Other countries beat this thing and have hosted pool parties for the past couple weeks.
