TL;DR
- Google is making it easier to carry COVID vaccine and test information on Android devices.
- Users will soon be able to download a COVID card and pin it as a shortcut to their device home screen.
- Google says it won’t use the information for ad targeting purposes.
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 Android devices.
The feature will initially roll out in the US, followed by other countries. Google has allowed healthcare providers and government organizations to create a digital version of a person’s COVID vaccine or test information.
The vaccine card will include information about the vaccine’s name, the lot and dose number, the date you received it, the name of the administering entity, and your future appointment details.
If your COVID card is about your COVID test, it’ll include information such as the name of the test, the result, the date you received it, and the name of the administering entity.
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.
To use the feature, your device needs to run Android 5 or a later version. Google says the card will be accessible even when users are offline or in areas with low internet connectivity.
As far as data security is concerned, Google says all vaccine information will be stored on the Android device itself. If users want to access their vaccine/tests card across multiple devices, they’ll have to store it on all of them manually.
Google promises it won’t retain a copy of the information and will not share it with third-party services for ad-targeting purposes. However, the company will know how you use your COVID card, such as the number of times you access it and on which days.
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