Following a months-long beta test, Apple last night released iOS 13.5, which adds improved Face ID recognition for mask wearers and COVID-19 exposure tracking functionality. The firm also delivered related updates to iPadOS and tvOS.
According to the iOS 13.5 release notes—interesting, this upgrade was originally going to be called iOS 13.4.5—it “speeds up access to the passcode field on devices with Face ID when [the user] is wearing a mask.” iOS 13.5 and iPadOS 13.5 also introduce Apple’s new Exposure Notification API, which supports COVID-19 contact tracing apps from public health authorities in the United States.
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There are some smaller changes, too. For example, iOS 13.5 also provides an update to Facetime in which the automatic arrangement of video tiles in group calls can be disabled if desired.
As for tvOS, it’s not clear what’s new, and this update appears to offer only bug and security fixes.
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