NHS just updated its vaccination passports…but only iPhone owners will see the changes

Recent articles

The NHS has updated its app to support Apple Wallet (Image: NHS • GETTY)

Despite the grumblings to the contrary from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, it seems increasingly that we all need to prove our vaccination status in order to attend large-scale events such as Premier League games, nightclubs or next season’s Tory Party conference. As soon as you take a double dose each of the three approved vaccines available in the UK, you can register for a vaccine passport in the NHS app.

And now the team behind the app has added support for Apple Wallet. For those who don’t know, Apple Wallet comes preinstalled on all iPhones and is used to store credit or debit cards added to Apple Pay (which lets you tap the handset on contactless terminals to pay at the register), airplane- and train tickets, as well as movie tickets and reservations when you pick up an order at your local Apple Store.

Using Apple Wallet has a number of advantages. First of all, Apple uses AI to preemptively display items from your Wallet on the lockscreen. For example, two hours before he knows that your train is going to leave, a notification will appear on your lockscreen with your ticket. Tapping on the shortcut will immediately launch the ticket to be scanned. You don’t have to worry about searching for a train company’s app while the guard checks his watch.

Apple also uses location to display items from your Wallet. So if you are close to an airport, it offers your plane ticket.

With the latest update to the NHS app, you can add your pass – which contains a unique QR code that locations can scan – to Apple Wallet. It’s unclear if venues can use the same features listed above, so when you approach your local football stadium or movie theater, the vaccine passport will automatically appear above any other notifications that clog your lockscreen. It is worth noting that the NHS app only applies to residents of England, with decentralized countries having their own equivalent apps.

MORE LIKE THIS
Apple warns huge shortages could reach iPhone 13 release

Apple Wallet NHS App UK Vaccine Passport

Wallet shows tickets and loyalty cards on the lockscreen. It also includes credit cards and tickets (Image: APPLE)

With tens of thousands returning to stadiums in the fall, we’re sure there will be an update coming soon to speed up the queues.

Frustratingly, the NHS has added a one-month expiration date to the vaccine passport. So about every four weeks you have to shred the pass in Apple Wallet, go back to the NHS app and start the re-import process.

It is worth noting that the NHS app required to access your vaccine passport is different from the NHS COVID-19 app which is designed to stop the spread of the virus by tracking your movements and alerting you if you’ve been around for a while. extended period of time with someone who later tested positive. It is available on iPhone and Android and also includes medical notes and history as recorded by your GP.

The NHS is a little late to the party here. Apple enabled a number of third-party apps late last year to add a COVID-19 vaccination passport to the Wallet app.

Some US cities, such as Los Angeles, have already adopted the feature, so those with two doses of the COVID-19 shot can prove their vaccinated status with a digital card in Apple Wallet. However, the adoption has not been as widespread.

Following in Apple’s footsteps, Google is expanding its wallet-like app, available on all Android handsets, to help reopen societies during the global public health crisis. Starting earlier this month, Google Pay will also be able to store and display a COVID-19 vaccination card. However, the NHS has not yet made use of this feature.

Check all Technology News here: Gaming Ideology

Source

Neela
Neela
I work as the Content Writer for Gaming Ideology. I play Quake like professionally. I love to write about games and have been writing about them for two years.

Leave a Reply