Exposure Notification on my iPhone

I previously wrote about a smartphone-based approach to contact tracing and the Apple-Google partnership for exposure notification. I followed up with additional discussion about SafePass and Exposure Notification Express. Overall, it seems to me that there are many great technologies for smartphone-based contact tracing, but they all suffer from lack of adoption. This means that people have to not only turn on exposure notification capabilities on their phones, but they also have to upload positive test results so that other people can receive notifications. Tonight I received an exposure notification on my iPhone:

After tapping for more information, I was presented with information about COVID-19 that was supplied by my state’s health department:

And when navigating to my iPhone Settings > Exposure Notification, I was informed that the exposure took place on August 4 or 5.

I just wanted to say “thank you” to the folks who have been thoughtful enough to contribute to making Exposure Notification work. The network effect applies here—the more people use it, the more valuable it becomes. I have not yet had COVID, but when (not if) I do, I will be sure to upload my test results in addition to notifying known close contacts. Will you do your part too?

Microsoft Teams for Mac - Universal Binary

Yesterday I posted about the imminent arrival of a universal binary version of Microsoft Teams, and I was wondering when I would receive the upgrade. Moments ago, I noticed that my Teams application had quit and re-launched while the app was idle. As I had hoped, my Intel version of Teams has been updated to the universal binary version of Teams:

The main differences in the app Info display are:

• The Kind has changed from Intel to Universal
• The Size has increased from 265.7 MB to 522.4 MB which makes sense since a universal app contains code for both Intel and Silicon processors
• The Creation and Modification dates have changed
• The Version has incremented from 1.5.00.17261 to 1.5.00.21551
• There is a new Open using Rosetta checkbox which you can use to force the app to run the Intel version

I have only played briefly with the universal version of Teams, and I have not noticed any major differences in speed, although I have yet to join a web conference. The user interface is the same, and I did not notice any major changes in the Preferences settings. In any case, I am happy to have received the update, and I hope you receive yours soon too.

It’s About Time

Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve been using Microsoft Teams for work-related communication including messaging and web conference calls on my Mac. On a typical work day, I spend several hours in web conferences and usually have my camera on, as do my co-workers. In December 2021, I upgraded my 2016 Intel-based MacBook Pro to a 2021 Silicon (M1) MacBook Pro. Unfortunately Microsoft Teams has remained an Intel-only app, and M1/M2 Mac users have been asking Microsoft to create a Silicon-compatible version of Teams ever since the M1 processor was introduced in November 2020. While Silicon Macs can use Rosetta to run Intel apps in emulation, there are efficiency gains (e.g., faster speed and less power consumption) with universal binary apps that run natively on Silicon Macs.

There is finally some good news for Silicon Mac users who rely on Teams. On July 13, 2022, Microsoft added “Native Apple Silicon Support” to its roadmap with a general availability release date of September 2022.

On August 3, 2022, Microsoft published a blog to announce the availability of Teams optimized for Apple silicon. They state, “We are rolling out a production grade universal binary version of Teams, which means it will run natively on the entire Mac lineup, including those with Apple silicon. For Mac users, this means a significant boost in performance, ensuring efficient use of device resources and an optimized Teams experience even when using multiple high-resolution monitors during calls or meetings.” Unfortunately they do not provide a download link for the universal version but instead state, “All Mac users will be automatically upgraded with their most recent update to Teams. The generally available (GA) version of the native Teams app on Mac with Apple silicon is being rolled out to customers in increments over the coming months.”

Members of the Office Insider Program may have been testing beta versions of the universal Teams app for many months now, but for regular folks, the Teams universal update is coming soon. Feel free to leave a comment if you’re not in the Insider Program and have received the Teams universal update before September.