Digital proof of vaccination on the mobile phone: Easier to access thanks to simple tricks
If you want to save your digital vaccination certificate on your smartphone, you don’t necessarily need the official CovPass or Corona warning app. With a few tricks, you will have the vaccination certificate to hand much faster in everyday life.
Anyone in this country who has already been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 has been receiving a digital vaccination certificate in the form of a QR code with the final vaccination for a few weeks. This can then either be saved in digital form in the CovPass or Corona-Warn-App and shown when necessary, for example at events or when traveling.
But if you want to prove your vaccination at events or when traveling at the airport, you often have to unlock the device first and open the app, which is a laborious process. Another negative point for many smartphone owners: If you wear a mask, you need additional time to unlock the device with the code instead of using face recognition.
More practical, however: the QR code either directly as a widget on the home screen or even faster directly from the lock screen via the wallet app. In a matter of seconds, the vaccination certificate can be called up and presented if required.
Apple & Google integrate the vaccination certificate
Both Apple and Google are responding to the digital vaccination records that have been introduced in many places and are announcing an innovation for their smartphone operating systems iOS and Android.
With the update to iOS 15 that will be released in autumn, iPhone users will be able to scan both the QR code of COVID-19 vaccinations and test results and save them in the health app. Owners of an Android smartphone get a similar function. For example, Google offers developers the option of using the Google Passes system for vaccination and test reports. In one blog entry informs Google that Android 5 or newer is required for this.
Vaccination record widget on the home screen
Since the update to iOS 14, iOS users can also place widgets on the home screen. The idea is accordingly simple: Just a screenshot of the vaccination certificate from the CovPass or Corona-Warn-App record and link it to a widget.
To do this, first download the free Widgetsmith app on your iPhone. Then select a desired widget size in the app. A square size is definitely recommended here. Next, click on the appropriate widget and select “Photo”. Now you can select the screenshot of the QR code; it is best to cut it to a square size beforehand. Finally, click on Save and then the widget can be placed in the appropriate place as usual using the edit mode of the home screen and the plus button at the top left.
Alternatively, the widget can also be stored in the widget view on the far left instead of on the home screen. Then access is possible directly from the lock screen even when the device is locked. When the device is locked, all you have to do is swipe from left to right and the widget is displayed.
Of course, the vaccination certificate can also be placed on Android devices as a widget on the home screen. This is about the free KWGT Kustom Widget Creator App from the PlayStore, but you can also use any other app that can create photo widgets. The functionality here is identical to the iOS version: take a screenshot of the QR code, select a screenshot, place a widget on the home screen.
This is how it works: Apple Wallet vaccination, test and recovery certificate
Most Apple users are probably familiar with the pre-installed wallet app from Apple. Not only credit cards for Apple Pay can be stored here, but also flight and train tickets, cinema tickets and festival tickets. The vaccination certificate, test and recovery certificates can also be stored here with a few clicks. The Covid Pass web app for Apple Wallet makes it easy to do. First open the web app on your iPhone and scan the QR code of your vaccination certificate or test or recovery certificate. The web application then generates a wallet card that can be saved directly in the wallet app.
Of course, data protection also plays a major role. Compared to CHIP, the developers state that the processing of the data and the creation of the passport takes place entirely in the browser and that the sensitive data of the user does not leave the respective device. A cryptographic hash of your data is only sent to the server for the signing step, so it should not be possible to read out or save the data.
If the iPhone is now locked, the wallet or vaccination certificate can be displayed by double-clicking the side button, even when the iPhone is locked. Much faster than opening an extra app and entering the code is not necessary here. Apple Watch users can also find the pass on their smartwatch.
Vaccination directly on the lock screen
If you also want to have your vaccination record automatically displayed on the lock screen at a corresponding location, you should also use it free Pass4Wallet app. Here the variant “Personal” is selected, the QR code is added and the design is adjusted if necessary. In addition, so-called relevant locations can now also be specified here. If, for example, the airport that is usually used is selected, the next time you stay in the specified area, the vaccination certificate is automatically displayed with quick access on the lock screen.
Categories: General