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

[Buran]

Yes, exactly! What's the holdup? I don't know why California companies work together to make this happen and California doesn't have it available. Am I missing something?

I live in a different state that not only doesn't have an app but has done nothing of note on the state level. It's all at the county level for me. This system is worse than useless because I have to watch other places get automated contact tracing that works -- and is anonymous, unlike what naysayers who see conspiracies in everything think -- while I get virtually no help. If I've been around someone who tested positive at some point, I'd like to know. I don't need to know who; just that I'm at risk.

I already barely go out, and it is irresponsible to not have made this system nationwide or worldwide. It could be done. It wasn't done. Come on, Apple/Google/governments. Step up. Make this update do something for all of us, not just the blessed.

 

[simonmet]

What state is that? I haven’t heard of that requirement before.

New South Wales, of which Sydney is the capital.

All restaurants, cafes, pubs, and bars are required to take contact details (name, number and time) of patrons for the purposes of contact tracing. Most allow you to do so via a QR code, so that it's contactless, but also allow people without smartphones to sign in the old-fashioned way. They also have to comply with capacity restrictions that enable adequate social distancing. I don't think there's been a death (or more than one) in the state for a couple of months.

They also publish a comprehensive watch list for locations and routes where they don't have contact details:

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/lat...-immediately-if-youve-been-to-these-locations

 

[ghostface147]

If it was just an API update, shouldn’t have taken too many beta cycles.

 

[zorinlynx]

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.

 

[ArrayDecay]

Download faster, damn you!

 

[BruiserB]

Is it available to iOS 14 Beta users? Wonder if a new Beta will also drop today with this functionality.

 

[DeepIn2U]

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.

Honestly it's just as important NOW as it was a few months ago. Many governments are the provincial level across the world have implemented this, some at the country governing level. Some unfortunately believe a live and let be infected and sort em out policy works. I think Google and Apple have realized the latter and are now determined to bake it within the OS which is a VERY smart move.

A few people in some countries are being re-infected (both symptomatic and asymptomatic) - which is a big concern. Either it shows a weakness in the immune system not recovering (which I honestly don't expect it will) or it's showing this virus is adapting/changing which is worrisome.

I'm heading off to the gym and I just checked in Canada no update as of yet

 

[C DM]

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

The device that is capable of doing all that is also one that is running iOS 13.4.1, or really any other iOS version, or Android, or pretty much any other OS.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

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 very much agree. These solutions should have been spearheaded by the government (as was done in several countries in Asia) instead of waiting for tech companies to drag governments into adopting it.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

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

Yeah I wonder why more people are not up in arms about this act of aggressive surveillance. It’s almost as if users were given a choice of using it or not.

 

[TimFL1]

See the first comment if you doubt its effectiveness.

That means nothing though. I think the german app was downloaded around... 15mil times? No one knows how many were properly set up and are still in use though, or are used by people like my parents who routinely forget their phone in the car or leave them at home / at their desk in the office... or the issues our app had that ****ed up exposure checks (e.g. check the health backend for exposure periodically).
Combine that with the fact that it also still leaves 65mil+ users without the app who do not contribute towards the exposure system, or the fact that cross-border effectiveness was close to zero up until this update (afaik this introduces a way to share traveler status), if at all.

The system itself is great if it weren‘t optional and/or people used it with care.

But yes, I am a firm believer in this system and I‘ve already had one „no risk match“ (1 exposure that is classified as no risk due to being too far away and exposed too short of a time).

 

[iOS Geek]

The device that is capable of doing all that is also one that is running iOS 13.4.1, or really any other iOS version, or Android, or pretty much any other OS.

I'm not one to post memes, but I saw this one the other day and while it's talking about microchips in vaccines...it could still apply here. If someone is so worried about being tracked...they should probably just ditch every device they have!

 

[TimFL1]

Is it available to iOS 14 Beta users? Wonder if a new Beta will also drop today with this functionality.

This is already included in 14 betas as of Beta 4 or 5.
This seems to be a backport of that feature to get it out sooner rather than later (every day counts with cases rising rapidly again).

 

[simonmet]

See the first comment if you doubt its effectiveness.

That was a good outcome indeed.

The thing is, its effectiveness depends on both a certain rate of infection in addition to uptake in the community. It's possible, for instance, that because uptake typically varies between 5-30%, that person was not infected by one of the people that triggered the notification, but had instead been infected before or since. It's even possible they infected those that triggered the notification, or others before or since. In which case it's good that they were at least notified of the possibility that they were themselves infected.

In my jurisdiction, confirmed cases have been averaging 5-20 per day in a state of > 8 million), I'm personally not using it and consider the many other measures to be adequate and much more effective at limiting transmission in the first place. But I don't even have the option of using it: the Apple/Google API is not used by any state or territory in Australia because the government decided to go with their own dismal implementation; with a centralised database mind you! And New South Wales health have said they aren't or can't even use that!

Don't get me wrong, security and privacy concerns aside (which are very minor as far as the Apple implementation) if there is no harm in using it then there's not really any reason not to, and if I were in America, I almost certainly would!

 

[nutmac]

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

Location tracking is optional, as well as exposure notifications feature itself. Turn it off and your information is not shared.

As for sharing, when exposure notifications is turned on, your iPhone is only transmitting non-identifiable randomized identifier string that is changed every 10-20 minutes to those around you. Other phones, including Android running Google's implementation of the feature, will store these identifiers.

When and if you are tested positive, you can optionally use the government's app (or presumably iOS 13.7) to log your test results, at which point phones that have your randomized identifiers are alerted. These identifiers can only be identified with the date. If you only visit few places or few people per day, you might be able to infer who that person might be, however.

 

[MacStreamer]

I wonder if someone is going to post 10 seconds after 1pm to say "not showing up for me".

 

[hoyhoy]

Is Apple going to add support for syncing photos and music from macOS Catalina to iOS 13 with this update? It's been broken for nearly a year now... https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250716707

 

[dannyyankou]

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.

View attachment 949346

That's amazing! I wish our country would get their act together with contact tracing, we're not Canada haha.

 

[iOS Geek]

That was a good outcome indeed.

The thing is, its effectiveness depends on both a certain rate of infection in addition to uptake in the community. It's possible, for instance, that because uptake typically varies between 5-30%, that person was not infected by one of the people that triggered the notification, but had instead been infected before or since. It's even possible they infected those that triggered the notification, or others before or since. In which case it's good that they were at least notified of the possibility that they were themselves infected.

In my jurisdiction, rates of infection (confirmed cases have been averaging 5-20 per day in a state of > 8 million), I'm personally not using it and consider the many other measures to be adequate and much more effective. But I don't even have the option of using it: the Apple/Google API is not used by any state or territory in Australia because the government decided to go with their own dismal implementation (with a centralised database mind you!). And New South Wales health have said they aren't or can't even use that!

Don't get me wrong, security and privacy concerns aside (which are very minor as far as the Apple implementation) if there is no harm in using it then there's not really any reason not to, and if I were in America, I almost certainly would!

I actually think this would have been better is Apple/Google just did it themselves instead of relying on countries/states/regions to make their own apps to utilize it. I say this for one reason: Trust. There are far too many people who don't trust their government. And this is an issue that is not just specific to the US.

My state doesn't have an app to utilize this feature, and quite honestly...I don't even think they have ANY intention to do so. We don't even have a statewide mandate for quarantine if you come from a hard hit state (though our most populated city and county DOES have that mandate. The governor has no intention of doing it on a state level as far as I know). If the state were to develop an app though, I don't think it would be widely utilized by the people in our state and mistrust would probably be the number one reason. Politicians in my state are pretty corrupt. OPENLY corrupt. It's top to bottom. And when it comes to COVID, we have botched some of the simplest things. People here don't trust them and will be unlikely to trust an app developed by them. If Apple/Google were to put an app out there...I think adoption of it would be more widespread.

Looking past the trust issue, another question that arises with relying on someone to develop an app instead of Apple/Google just doing it themselves...is will they actually do it? Just like I said about my state, they don't seem to have any intention to do it. If I am wrong, someone please correct me, but I don't even think California has an app. Out of all the states in the US that don't have one, California surprises me a little. Every little bit of usage helps, but with so few places jumping on board, you could argue that this is a futile attempt.

 

[jclardy]

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.

 

[TonyC28]

I actually think this would have been better is Apple/Google just did it themselves instead of relying on countries/states/regions to make their own apps to utilize it. I say this for one reason: Trust. There are far too many people who don't trust their government. And this is an issue that is not just specific to the US.

Excellent point. Maybe I'm too naive, but if someone is going to offer me something that uses my iPhone to "trace" me then I feel much more comfortable with that coming from Apple instead of the government.

 

[GadgetBen]

Too late.All 5 of my iDevices are now running the iOS/iPadOS 14 beta.

Same. I wonder how this will impact us in England

 

[sgreen314]

156.1 MB on iPhone SE (2020). Will be interesting to see changes in settings. Definitely going to opt in to help keep myself (and others) safe.

 

[simonmet]

I actually think this would have been better is Apple/Google just did it themselves instead of relying on countries/states/regions to make their own apps to utilize it. I say this for one reason: Trust. There are far too many people who don't trust their government. And this is an issue that is not just specific to the US.

My state doesn't have an app to utilize this feature, and quite honestly...I don't even think they have ANY intention to do so. We don't even have a statewide mandate for quarantine if you come from a hard hit state (though our most populated city and county DOES have that mandate. The governor has no intention of doing it on a state level as far as I know). If the state were to develop an app though, I don't think it would be widely utilized by the people in our state and mistrust would probably be the number one reason. Politicians in my state are pretty corrupt. OPENLY corrupt. It's top to bottom. And when it comes to COVID, we have botched some of the simplest things. People here don't trust them and will be unlikely to trust an app developed by them. If Apple/Google were to put an app out there...I think adoption of it would be more widespread.

Agreed. Trust in government has been declining for some time and continues to decline for reasons that are too many to discuss here. I was vehemently opposed to our government's app and still won't use it. Nobody even talks about it anymore and it's not clear if there have been any contacts made using it. Then again, we have faired a lot better than many other countries, with our governments preferring stricter lockdown measures as a first line of defence; and (at least for now) paying generous benefits to those who can't work. Some people actually earn more while not working than doing their part-time or casual job!

You can't even travel between the Australian states and territories at the moment unless you live in a border region. It's like 8 different countries at the moment!

 

[meddow]

Same. I wonder how this will impact us in England

it wont as are our FOOKED the testing app up.

Its not goner be available for ages! :-(