Google will soon let Android users carry a COVID vaccine card on their phones. It has updated Android’s built-in passes system to enable a simple and secure way to store digital vaccine and test cards on phones.
The COVID Card will initially roll out in the US, and it will rely on support from healthcare providers, local governments, or other organizations authorized to distribute vaccines. The feature will also support storing COVID-19 test results.
The vaccine card will include information about the vaccine’s name, the lot and dose number, the date a person received it, the name of the administering entity, and future appointment details. For the COVID-19 test, it’ll include information such as the name of the test, the result, the date and the name of the administering entity.
According to a Google Support Page, the card can be saved from the healthcare provider’s app or website as well as from texts or emails sent to the user. Once users store a digital vaccine card on their Android phones and other devices, they’ll be able to access it through a shortcut on the home screen.
Regarding the security of the data, Google says that the card won’t be saved in the cloud and that it won’t use the information for advertising purposes. If users want to access their vaccine/tests card across multiple devices, they’ll have to store it on all of them manually.
However, the company says that it will collect some information, like how many times the card was used and on which days. Installing the Google Pay app is not a requirement to access COVID Cards.
