Apple's Exposure Notification API Now Available in iOS 14 With Fourth Beta Update

As of today, the iOS 14 beta supports the Exposure Notification API, which will let iOS 14 users download ‌Exposure Notification‌ and COVID tracking apps in countries where those apps are available.

exposure notification cartoon
‌Exposure Notification‌ support was added in the fourth beta released this morning, and it is listed as a feature in the update's release notes.

‌Exposure Notification‌ was released as an iOS 13.5 update back in May, but the API was not added to iOS 14 until today, which prevented iOS 14 users from being able to download and use apps that take advantage of the ‌Exposure Notification‌ API.

That wasn't a major issue when only developers were able to download iOS 14, but it became a problem when the public beta was released and more people had iOS 14 installed as none of those people could use contact tracing apps.

‌Exposure Notification‌ now works on both iOS 13 and iOS 14, with apps that use the API available in Canada, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Croatia, Denmark, and more.

For more on ‌Exposure Notification‌ and how it works, make sure to check out our Exposure Notification guide.

Related Forum: iOS 14

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
ipad air magic keyboard feature

iPadOS 19 Rumored to Show Mac-Like Menu Bar When Connected to Magic Keyboard

Thursday April 24, 2025 12:09 pm PDT by
When an iPad running iPadOS 19 is connected to a Magic Keyboard, a macOS-like menu bar will appear on the screen, according to the leaker Majin Bu. This change would further blur the lines between the iPad and the Mac. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously claimed that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS," with unspecified improvements to productivity, multitasking, and app window management,...
top stories 2025 04 26

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Air Rumors, Apple Watch Turns 10, and More

Saturday April 26, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
We've known for quite some time about Apple's plans for a thinner "iPhone 17 Air" coming later this year, but wow, the latest dummy models give us our best look yet at just how thin this phone is going to be. Other Apple news and rumors this week included another iOS 18.5 beta, the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch launch, and more management reshuffling in Apple's Siri division, so read...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...

Top Rated Comments

VSG Avatar
62 months ago

Honest question: What do you do if you are notified that you may have been exposed? Quarantine yourself? Get tested each time? That seems impractical and unnecessary. I'm sure it generates a lot of interesting data, but for what?
That's right, getting tested and quarantining yourself until you get the result.
The notification is actually more nuanced than many people think. I've seen instances when you get the info you had 1 possible contact, meaning you met a person that was later confirmed positive, but you haven't been around for more than 10 minutes. This is a mild risk. When there's a high risk, not getting tested and self quarantining could require getting your family and / or co-workers infected.
That's both unethical and a lot more unnecessary.

Worst case: The whole exposure notification doesn't help much.
Best case: You prevent yourself from infecting someone else.

We're one species, one planet. Let's work together on this, people!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Buran Avatar
62 months ago
Great. Now if we could actually make use of it in the home country of Apple and Google...
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmilo Avatar
62 months ago

Honest question: What do you do if you are notified that you may have been exposed? Quarantine yourself? Get tested each time? That seems impractical and unnecessary. I'm sure it generates a lot of interesting data, but for what?
Uncle of my bf: DEAD
Uncles brother: DEAD
2nd brother: DEAD
step grandpa of my bf: infected
bfs mum & dad: unknown, cuz they refuse to test them unless they show symptoms even though they were in the house helping the sick grandpa

so yeah, any attempt in helping so slow down the spread is good enough for me
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ZzapDK Avatar
62 months ago

Honest question: What do you do if you are notified that you may have been exposed? Quarantine yourself? Get tested each time? That seems impractical and unnecessary. I'm sure it generates a lot of interesting data, but for what?
You should schedule a test and otherwise keep social distancing. It may be impractical and feel unnecessary but it is really implemented in order to protect people.
While you may think you may "beat this" there are a lot of elderly and people with poor health that will probably not make it. I, for one, am primarily following the guidelines in order to protect my own family but in doing so others will benefit too
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
62 months ago

I don't see why we should be trusting the government with this - or even why we should be looking to the government to do this. I'd trust Apple (and even Google) to release their app for anyone to use. I'd install it in a second. Instead we have to wait for the states (in the US) to create apps.

There are open source apps using this with the source on GitHub. Hey, Apple, Google, just open it up so that anyone can use the app without the need for some government involvement. If they had done this in May, everyone worldwide would have at least one app to use.
The nature of the app requires getting the test results from the health authority.

If Apple and Google offered an app that serves "honor system" data, where infected individuals enter the data manually, the app would be untrustworthy ("the boy who cried wolf").

Apple and Google actually made and offers sample app that essentially requires just the back-end integration, but the US government either disagrees with using tech for contact tracing or hasn't prioritized the project.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coolfactor Avatar
62 months ago

Unfortunately the majority of at-risk people have old devices and cannot install these apps or OS version. Sadly Apple does not seem to be concerned.
It's not just about software, but also hardware. The protocol utilizes Bluetooth to detect those around you. Bluetooth has evolved through several versions, and older devices will have older Bluetooth versions which may not support the type of signalling that's requiring. (I don't know). Then there's battery capacity, with many turning Bluetooth off to extend battery life, again rendering the detection of those around you null and void.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)