Apple added its Exposure Notification API back into iOS 14 beta 4

By Oliver Haslam
published

Ios 14 Siri Hero
Ios 14 Siri Hero (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple released iOS 14 beta 4 yesterday.
  • It added the Exposure Notification API to iOS 14 for the first time.
  • The API was first added in iOS 13.5.

Apple released iOS 14 beta 4 to developers yesterday ahead of a public beta launch that will likely arrive in the next day or so. There was, as ever, a laundry list of changes but one could potentially save lives – the COVID-19 Exposure Notification API is back, making it available in iOS 14 for the first time.

The feature was first added in iOS 13.5 and has been allowing users to download compatible tracking apps ever since. But no iOS 14 beta has included the API, preventing users from enjoying the benefits it brings. Until beta 4.

ExposureNotification

Resolved in iOS & iPadOS 14 beta 4

  • ExposureNotification is now available. (64433241)

Apple confirmed the improvement in the iOS 14 beta 4 release notes, with the download available via an OTA update for those who already have the correct developer profile installed on their device.

Following a beta program, Apple will likely release iOS 14 alongside iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, macOS 11 Big Sur, and tvOS 14 later this fall.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.