The new iPhone 12 and 12 Pro were both released tot he market on Friday 23rd but early owners of the device have complained that they’re unable to use the NHS COVID-19 application on the new device.
Meanwhile the newly released smartphone can run the contact-tracing software in both England and Wales but there were issues when app are transferred from an older iPhone through the iCloud backup data transfer which is the gold standard for backing up and recovering data for iPhone users.
Report states that this can easily be addressed by making a change within the Settings menu and as such, users should follow this quick guide:
- select the Notifications listing
- then tap on Exposure Notifications
- then turn on the Allow Notifications option
When users install the app from scratch, they are prompted to give the required permission meanwhile when Apple transfers apps over, the device doesn’t require users to give permissions.
As a result, the app cannot enable the Bluetooth-based matching functionality it needs to work but the requirement is designed to protect user’s privacy.
However, the alert shown by the app suggested other factors might be at play.
What even was much surprising is the fact that the app’s official Twitter account responded by highlighting that the iPhone 12 wasn’t among the devices which checked for compatibility with the software.
Some users had got round the problem by deleting the app and then downloading it again from the App Store, which triggered the exposure notification permission request.
But going through this route meant that user is willing to let go of all the previously stored data on the device which will be wiped and that includes places where the user had checked in to.
There is currently some 18 million install of the NHS COVID-19 app which adds to the contact tracing measures to help fight the spread of the disease in the country.
The use of the app helps in logging visits to places such as restaurants and other leisure facilities as well as to check symptoms and order a coronavirus test.
The BBC revealed last week that Huawei is also working with NHS Test and Trace officials to try and get the app working on some of its newer phones.
