Apple Expands Exposure Notification API With 'Express' Option That Doesn't Require an App

Apple is today releasing iOS 13.7 with a major step forward in the Exposure Notification API that's available for public health authorities to use for their COVID-19 contact tracing efforts. Exposure Notifications Express is designed to provide simpler deployment of regional exposure notifications without the need to develop or maintain an app.

exposurenotificationexpress
The new Exposure Notifications Express system will also let users in participating states opt into the system more easily, while still maintaining focusing on privacy and security.

When upgrading to the new iOS 13.7 update, users in states who have agreed to use Exposure Notifications Express will be provided with a notification letting them know that exposure notifications are now available in their state. Tapping the notification will open up the Settings where they can turn on ‌Exposure Notification‌ without downloading an app. From Apple and Google:

"As the next step in our work with public health authorities on Exposure Notifications, we are making it easier and faster for them to use the Exposure Notifications System without the need for them to build and maintain an app. Exposure Notifications Express provides another option for public health authorities to supplement their existing contact tracing operations with technology without compromising on the project's core tenets of user privacy and security. Existing apps using the Exposure Notification API will be compatible with Exposure Notifications Express, and we are committed to supporting public health authorities that have deployed or are building custom apps."

To develop Exposure Notifications Express, Apple consulted with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC Foundation, the Association of Public Health Laboratories, the American Public Health Association, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and the Task Force for Global Health.

States that use Exposure Notifications express will not need to develop an app and can instead provide Apple and Google with information about how to reach the public health authority, guidance for residents, and recommendations on potential actions. Public health authorities provide a name, logo, criteria for triggering an exposure notification, and the materials to be presented to users in case of exposure, with Apple and Google using this information to offer an Exposure Notifications System to customers on behalf of the public health authority.

Maryland, Nevada, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. will be the first areas to use Exposure Notifications Express. iOS and Android Exposure Notifications will be fully interoperable with one another and existing Exposure Notifications apps that have rolled out. Public health authorities can still choose to build their own custom apps instead of using Exposure Notifications Express.

More than 20 countries and regions have already created and launched apps that use the ‌Exposure Notification‌ API, with more on the way. In the U.S., 25 states, territories, and the District of Columbia have been working on ‌Exposure Notification‌ solutions, with apps launched in Virginia, North Dakota, Wyoming, Alabama, Arizona, and Nevada.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Top Rated Comments

ipedro Avatar
47 months ago
I’ve had 3 friends warned in the app. They got tested and despite being asymptomatic, all three were positive. They’re all self isolating, which will save the lives of those who they would have otherwise exposed. The system works.



Attachment Image
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Trik Avatar
47 months ago

It's taken so long to roll this stuff out, and it's still not available in all areas. It would have been a lot more useful a few months ago. :(
I would post comments on a failure of American leadership, but we're not in the Political forum, and don't want start a flame war. Let's just say... I completely agree with you.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
47 months ago

I don't understand why things had to escalate politically.

If this matter was taken more seriously (it still isn't), 2% of Americans would not be infected with COVID-19 and over 3% fatality rate. Those figures are more common with developing countries (assuming they are tested more thoroughly).

And I am frankly more mad at selfish people not concerned with vulnerable neighbors. If all of us take this more seriously, most businesses can re-open, which is a win-win for everyone.
This is one of those things I'll never understand. A virus that's rapidly spreading and infects everyone no matter their political affiliation is not something that should be political.

Hell I remember thinking when the virus started to spread in the US "At least the parties in congress will likely work together on this as it's not political." Yeah nope.

That's why I think our problems go beyond politics and that something is fundamentally broken in our society.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
47 months ago
It's taken so long to roll this stuff out, and it's still not available in all areas. It would have been a lot more useful a few months ago. :(
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclardy Avatar
47 months ago

Downloading iOS versions with this tracking is agreeing to Tyranny. 13.4.1 forever.

A location tracking device, audio and text spying, social control and modification - are you getting it yet? A location tracking device, audio and text spying, social control and modification - it's not 3 devices, it's one
Hate to break it to you but cell phones have been trackable since before the iPhone even existed. Unless you bought a tracfone sim with cash at walmart while wearing a mask, you can be tracked by your nokia 6600.

Just think about it for half a second...your phone is connected to multiple cell phone towers. Those towers have to know your IMEI number. The signal strength to those towers can be used to triangulate your position. Your IMEI number is attached to your wireless account, which is then linked directly to your name/address/CC number with the carrier.

In fact, a non-iPhone is even less secure because your normal SMS's are transmitted unencrypted to the tower and also stored by the carrier themselves.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
47 months ago

I would post comments on a failure of American leadership, but we're not in the Political forum, and don't want start a flame war. Let's just say... I completely agree with you.
I don't understand why things had to escalate politically.

If this matter was taken more seriously (it still isn't), 2% of Americans would not be infected with COVID-19 and over 3% fatality rate. Those figures are more common with developing countries (assuming they are tested more thoroughly).

And I am frankly more mad at selfish people not concerned with vulnerable neighbors. If all of us take this more seriously, most businesses can re-open, which is a win-win for everyone.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...