COVID is rising again and your iPhone can help you stay safe to some extent. Here’s how to make it work.
The spread of COVID is at an all-time high in several countries and for most of you reading this, you need to prepare to protect yourself from the infection. While complete isolation from the world is not possible, you can certainly go a long way in keeping yourself as safe as possible. A face mask is certainly a way to easily protect yourself, but did you know you can use your iPhone as a tool to protect yourself from COVID? Yes, no kidding! The iPhone you’re using can even alert you to COVID exposure.
When the COVID pandemic was at its peak, Apple released a new feature called Exposure Notifications on iOS. The feature was immediately made available on iPhones running iOS 13 and on newer devices as well. If you want to actively track exposure to COVID, here’s what you need to do.
How exposure notifications work on iPhone
– Your iPhone uses Bluetooth to keep a log all day long, tracking which people are allegedly infected. This includes all iOS and Android phones with exposure notifications enabled and keeps a rolling 14-day log of their shared IDs.
– People can report that they have COVID-19 on their iPhones. If someone gets a positive diagnosis, they can report it and anonymously notify those who have been close to them.
– If you have been exposed, your public health authority can notify you. Your iPhone checks your log for exposure to anyone who has reported a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. If an exposure exceeds your public health authority guidelines, you will be notified.
How to enable it?
Go to the Settings app and scroll down to Exposure Notifications. Next, you need to enable Exposure Notifications and follow the on-screen instructions.
Do exposure notifications work in India?
Due to local regulations, exposure notifications on iPhones and Android devices do not work in India. Indian users have to rely on Aarogya Setu contact tracing app.