14 DAY TRIAL // If you still needed a good reason why you shouldn’t install beta software on your production devices, maybe this iOS 14 public beta issue convinces you this is serious business.
The most recent testing version of Apple’s next mobile operating system seems to disable coronavirus contact tracing apps in Europe for a reason that’s yet to be determined.
According to reports, Apple is already aware of the issue, so there’s a good chance a fix is already in the works and should be part of the next beta.
Until then, however, not only that users aren’t notified when these apps are disabled, as the whole thing happens silently without any previous warning, but they also can’t enable them back on manually.
All they get is a “Not available in your region” message in the COVID-19 Exposure Logging screen.
iOS 14 coming in September
Apple and Google worked together on a dedicated API that allows devs to create contact tracing apps to help users prevent the exposure to the new coronavirus. Apple explains how the whole thing works right on the iPhone, pointing out that those who were infected can choose to share this information privately with a contact tracing app and then help others reduce the exposure to the virus.
“When enabled, iPhone can exchange random IDs with other devices using Bluetooth. The random IDs your device collects are stored in an exposure log for 14 days. This exposure log allows an app you authorize to notify you if you may have been exposed to COVID-19,” the iPhone settings screen notes.
iOS 14 is still in development stage, and the stable build is projected to launch in September this year for all iPhone 6s and newer. Users who want to try it right now can do so by downloading the beta builds from Apple.