iPhone 12 launch creates NHS Covid-19 app confusion
Reportedly, some of the users of the latest iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 pro devices have encountered error messages when trying to use the NHS Covid-19 app.
Apple’s smartphones – which were launched on Friday – supports running England and Wales’ contact tracing app.
But the error occurs if apps are fetched from an older iPhone via an iCloud Backup data transfer, which is a general practice.
This can be solved easily by making a change in the Settings menu.
Users can:
- go to the Notifications listing
- then select Exposure Notifications
- then turn on the Allow Notifications toggle
When uses download the app in their device, they are promoted to grant the required permission.
But in what seems to be a fault, when Apple transfers apps over, the phone does not ask users to allow the permission and it is unobvious that it needs to be done.
As an outcome, the application cannot run the Bluetooth-based matching feature it needs to work.
The requirement is there to protect users’ privacy.
However, the notification shown by the app suggested other things might be at play.
To make the things even more tangled, when asked about the issue the app’s official Twitter handle responded by highlighting that the iPhone 12 was not among phones tested for compatibility with the software.
Some people had got round the problem by uninstalling the app and then reinstalling it from the App Store, which led to the exposure notification permission request.
Besides that, this method results in all information previously saved by the app on the device being deleted, including places the user had checked in to.
Around 18 million people have downloaded the NHS Covid-19 app so far. Apart from contact tracing, the app is also utilized to log visits restaurant and other recreational facilities, as well as to track symptoms and suggest a coronavirus test.
Last week, a media website also revealed that Huawei is also working with NHS Test and Trace officials to get the app working on some of its latest phones.
