The new COVID feature on Apple's latest iPhone update is causing controversy and confusion.
Apple's IOS 13.5 update over the summer added a COVID tracking feature to your iPhone. But that doesn't mean the government is spying on you, according to Apple and reports in ZDNet - 9to5Mac.
First, let's start with how to activate this feature.
You will need to activate the system with help from a local health department.
ZDNet says you can find it by going to settings -> privacy -> health -> COVID-19 exposure logging. It then explains that an authorized app is required to turn the feature on.
But there are fears that Apple is secretly using this feature to track you for COVID-19.
First of all, if your location services are "on," your phone keeps a record of where you have been. That's not new.
But there's no truth to rumors that Apple, or the government, is checking to see if you are near people infected with the coronavirus. You have to turn the feature on for that to happen.
And people with the virus would have to turn on the feature too. No smartphone can simply sniff out the virus in the air.
The bottom line, no one is tracking your phone for COVID exposure unless you want them to.