Apple today seeded the first beta of its upcoming iOS 13.7 update to developers and public beta testers. The beta includes new COVID-19 Exposure Notification options.
Developer beta builds are available to developers over the air on the devices with the proper configuration installed.
Public beta builds of the new operating systems can be downloaded via the Apple Beta Software Program website by users signed up to take part in the testing program. If you’re interested in trying out the betas of the upcoming operating systems you can sign up for the program by clicking the same link.
As usual, MacTrast and Apple both warn users to not install any betas on your daily driver iPhone or iPad, instead only install betas on a device set aside for testing purposes.
Apple’s release notes indicate 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. In iOS 14 betas there is a toggle to “Turn on Exposure Notifications” which then lets you know if the feature is available in your country, state, or region via a contact tracing app.
While using Exposure Notifications still requires using an app, Apple says the System availability still depends on having support from local, state, or country health authorities. The new beta adds an Exposure Notification section to the Settings app, instead of being buried in the Privacy section of the Settings section.
Meanwhile, a new iPadOS 13.7 beta has also been released, but does not support Exposure Notification, and instead focuses on bug fixes and performance improvements.