IOS Update COVID Tracker

[Captain America]

When the new IOS update comes out on Friday it will include the COVID Tracker and will allow those of you with Face ID to access your phone a little faster with a mask on. I cannot speak for Android as they are getting a tracker too but on an iPhone you will be able to turn it off. You go to Settings...Privacy...Health...COVID 19 Exposure Notifications. It is supposed to auto delete from the phone in 14 days...just trying to keep everyone up to date.

 

[Bull Barrel]

Its not to track the woohoo flu. Its to track you.

 

[Captain America]

Its not to track the woohoo flu. Its to track you.

Supposedly what it will do is notify you if you came into contact with someone who has it turned on and has put their positive diagnoses into the Health app in your iPhone. If you turn Bluetooth off it’s disabled. The tech forums I hang out on are having heated debates about it but it looks like 90% will be disabling it...some plan on putting info on their phones saying they’re positive just to mess with people. My brother does IT for a local hospital, a nurse friend of his that works in the COVID ward is going to do some testing with it.

 

[hittman]

Remember, this thread is about an ap available on a personal device.

Let's please not make it political so we don't have to move it to Politics and merge it with the COVID thread.

 

[Captain America]

Remember, this thread is about an ap available on a personal device.

Let's please not make it political so we don't have to move it to Politics and merge it with the COVID thread.

Absolutely, I will try to find out how Android/Google is handling it. Anyone who knows feel free to chime in, anyone with a question about how it works on an iPhone feel free to ask.

 

[contender]

I have an iPhone. Are you saying it'll be an automatic update? I may have the option of face ID,, but I do not use it. In fact, I do not use a lot of the stuff they have available such as; Apple ID, Face ID, Apple Pay. I have never finished "setting up" my iPhone for those things.

So, will I need to physically disable this crap, or can I just ignore it & not use it?

 

[Captain America]

I have an iPhone. Are you saying it'll be an automatic update? I may have the option of face ID,, but I do not use it. In fact, I do not use a lot of the stuff they have available such as; Apple ID, Face ID, Apple Pay. I have never finished "setting up" my iPhone for those things.

So, will I need to physically disable this crap, or can I just ignore it & not use it?

It's coming in the next update, they update number will probably be 13.4.5, I will post here when the update is out and yes, you will need to turn it off but Apple is making it easy to do so. Setting up an Apple ID is simple and it allows you to backup your phone to the cloud for free, if you ever lose your phone you just start it from the backup...it all depends on how you use your phone...any questions feel free to ask.

 

[turd]

Setting up an Apple ID is simple and it allows you to backup your phone to the cloud for free, if you ever lose your phone you just start it from the backup.

Do this, anyone who hasn't. I let someone else set up my I phone and they neglected to do this without telling me, of course. Well, I had my phone in the back pocket of a pair of jeans and threw the jeans in the washing machine. About 5 minutes later I remembered.........lost everything I had on the phone - pictures, years worth of contacts, etc. :shock:

Make sure you have this set up. Thanks for mentioning this, Captain.

 

[Captain America]

Update...the IOS update was held up but when it happens it looks like the COVID tracker will not be turned on and you will have to install an app for it to work so it’s going to be completely voluntary. In the previous Beta it was on by default, in the Beta that came out today it is not...I’ll let you guys know when the public release is out.

 

[gramps]

No facial ID for me. Fingerprint is ok.
gramps

 

[powder smoke]

Phone will alert you when you are near an infected victim?

 

[Captain America]

Phone will alert you when you are near an infected victim?

Supposedly that’s the plan, Apple has only implemented this for Beta testing and so far it does nothing. If you opt in you will get a notification that you came in contact with someone who has put into their phone that they’re infected. This setup is going to be absolutely worthless as some will not want to put the info into their phones, and some will put false info into their phones. I have four old phones, I could easily walk around Walmart with all four of them and have them set up saying I had COVID, that would be chaotic and Apple knows that so they’re trying to make it as hard as possible to mess with things. Some in the government want the info itself to be tracked and mandatory, Apple not only will not do that, and because of the way an iPhone works, they cannot do that.

 

[Kevin]

It's more than just Apple that is doing this. I've read several news stories in the last week about companies tracking their employees more, for example who they come in contact with.

Here's a quote from a Wall Street Journal Article: "In Midtown Manhattan, for example, thermal cameras will measure body temperatures as employees file into a 32-story office tower at Rockefeller Center."

There's another company Clear AI. They have been mining social media sites for pictures and names to form a facial recognition database. They want to also start tracking the virus somehow.

I don't know all the details, but it does involve tracking everyone. Whether you want to be tracked or not.

 

[Captain America]

Apple really changed what they’re doing from the original plan. The COVID tracker will be there but it will be OFF by default because it no longer is native to your phone, it will require you to install an app and turn on the tracker...tomorrow at 1:00 is tentative launch time.

 

[Pat-inCO]

About 5 minutes later I remembered.........lost everything I had on the phone
- pictures, years worth of contacts, etc. :shock:

Spectacles, testicles, watch and the wallet. :roll:

 

[Captain America]

The update is available now, Face ID has been streamlined when wearing a mask. The COVID tracker is called Exposure Tracking under settings, privacy, health...Apple went out of their way to allow only you to control it. The exposure tracker does nothing until you install a tracking app, load all your information into it, then turn the exposure tracking on in your phone.