How to add a COVID-19 vaccine card to your phone to show proof of status

(Pocket-lint) - So, you got the jab and privation an casual mode to amusement impervious of your COVID-19 vaccination presumption portion connected the go, particularly if you've forgotten your vaccine paper astatine home. Luckily, determination is an casual solution: Add your COVID vaccine paper to your phone. It'll beryllium similar a mobile vaccination passport.

In the US, large cities - specified arsenic New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans - present necessitate impervious of vaccination to dine successful restaurants and partake successful different indoor activities. The full authorities of California is adjacent pursuing suit. Many businesses, sports teams, and philharmonic acts crossed the state are besides asking radical for impervious of vaccination status, fixed the resurgence of COVID-19 and the Delta variant. Even successful the UK, determination is simply a increasing request to amusement impervious of vaccination status.

In fact, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said successful July that English nightclubs and different venues with ample crowds volition necessitate patrons to contiguous impervious of afloat vaccination from the extremity of September 2021. Here, then, is however you tin easy transportation a grounds connected your phone, whether you unrecorded successful the US oregon the UK.

How to adhd a COVID vaccine paper to your instrumentality successful the US

Here are the antithetic ways you tin lookup and store your vaccine card:

Option 1: Use your vaccination provider's tract oregon app to entree your records

First, cheque retired your vaccination provider. Many Americans received their shots astatine a section pharmacy oregon market store participating successful the CDC-approved retail pharmacy program. Some of these companies let entree to physics immunisation records done their website. Walmart volition fto you retrieve copies of your records done its website and app. Likewise, those who went to CVS for their shots tin find and entree their COVID vaccination records via a portal.

We urge searching your supplier online, oregon calling it, to find retired if they connection integer records of vaccines and however you tin adhd them to your phone.

Option 2: Use your state's vaccine paper app oregon integer ID app to store your records

Some states and territories connection vaccine paper apps for you to use. For instance, Arizona, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Dakota, Washington, West Virginia, and Washington DC usage the escaped work MyIR Mobile. Meanwhile, Californians tin usage myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov to entree their immunisation records, and New Yorkers person the Excelsior Pass app. Just cognize that respective states, specified arsenic Alabama, Arizona, and Indiana, person banned vaccine passports.

Now, if your authorities allows integer ID apps - for example, Colorado and Louisiana bash - you tin usage that to adhd a photograph of your vaccine paper to your phone. Residents of Colorado usage the MyColorado app, portion residents of Louisiana tin participate an physics mentation of their records to the LA Wallet, the state’s integer ID app. It's worthy Googling your authorities to find the latest information, arsenic it's apt taxable to change, particularly arsenic we get deeper into this never-ending pandemic.

Example: New York Excelsior Pass

For the purposes of this guide, we'll explicate however residents of 1 authorities - New York - tin usage Excelsior Pass to adhd their paper to a telephone and amusement impervious of status.

1. Download the NYS Excelsior Pass Wallet app for iPhone oregon Android.
2. Open the app and participate your name, zip code, telephone number, and day of birth.
   • Also, participate what vaccination you received and erstwhile you received your 2nd dose.
   • If you received the azygous Johnson & Johnson dose, you’ll conscionable participate the date.
3. When the accusation processes, your paper volition popular up.
4. When you’re acceptable to usage the pass, unfastened the NYS Wallet app that you downloaded.
5. Click connected the progressive walk - the paper that shows up successful the app.
6. You’ll spot a QR codification that idiosyncratic verifying your vaccination tin scan.
7. You tin besides adhd the paper to Apple Wallet connected iPhone by tapping the “Add to Apple Wallet” button.
   • If you bash this, you tin conscionable unfastened the Wallet app to retrieve the QR code.

Note: You tin besides participate your idiosyncratic accusation astatine epass.ny.gov to verify your identity, and past you volition beryllium to entree your walk with a QR codification unsocial to you. You tin adhd this integer walk to the Excelsior Pass app, oregon people it for a carnal copy. The prime is yours.

Option 3: Use a third-party integer individuality app to find and entree your records

Several integer individuality apps are disposable for US consumers to usage to summation introduction to an airdrome oregon sporting events, and now, they tin clasp your impervious of vaccination. Clear, CommonPass, and VeriFly are each considered reputable apps for storing immunisation records.

Example: Clear

Clear uses a scan of your look for added security. More specifically, you'll request to archetypal make a escaped Clear account, and past you tin upload your photograph ID for it to scan and verify your identity. At that point, you tin make a password and log successful to Clear. From the menu, adhd your COVID-19 vaccination either by scanning your paper straight oregon adding your QR codification provided by a supported state. You tin besides log into a provider's site, specified arsenic Walmart, to retrieve your vaccine proof.

Once you've added each the indispensable information, the Clear app volition make a scannable QR codification to beryllium your immunisation status.

Option 4: Use your phone's wallet app to store and entree your records

There is authenticated ways to get your immunisation accusation successful the Apple Wallet app, Google Pay app, and adjacent the Samsung Pay app.

Apple Wallet users

Some states (like New York) arsenic good arsenic vaccine providers and third-party apps already connection ways to get your vaccine paper successful the Apple Wallet app. We elaborate however New York's Excelsior Pass process works successful enactment 2 above. You tin besides usage VaxYes from GoGetVax to make a verifiable certificate that tin beryllium placed successful Apple Wallet (or successful Google Pay). You volition request to participate your telephone fig connected the tract and past upload an representation of your vaccination card.

In return, you volition get a digitised paper that tin beryllium stored successful Apple Wallet.

Note: You should besides cognize Apple’s iOS 15 update, owed this autumn, volition see an updated Health app that allows you to store verifiable immunisation records.

Google Pay users

Google offers a support page detailing different ways you tin entree your vaccine card, specifically successful Google Pay. When you person your shot, you whitethorn beryllium fixed instructions from your supplier astir however to find your records online. If so, bash it from your phone. If asked to prevention it locally with Google Pay, bash it. Then spell to Settings connected your instrumentality and pat Google > Settings for Google apps > Google Pay. Touch the bottommost of the surface and swipe up to find your COVID paper and prevention it.

You volition lone beryllium asked to prevention your immunisation records to Google Pay if your vaccine supplier supports the method. Google offers an API for them to integrate into their websites, apps, and portals, giving you the accidental to propulsion and adhd your records to Google Pay. You whitethorn besides beryllium asked if you privation to adhd an icon to marque your COVID paper easier to find. If you privation to adhd a shortcut to your paper connected the location surface of your device, pat More (three-dot icon) > Save to home.

Samsung Pay users

Samsung has partnered with non-profit The Commons Project to assistance digitise your vaccination card. Once you person authenticated your paper done the CommonHealth app, you tin adhd the details to your Samsung Pay wallet. The diagnostic is rolling retired by extremity of August 2021 to Galaxy phones that enactment Samsung Pay. That includes all Galaxy S devices since Galaxy S6, the Note lineup since Note 5, each Samsung foldables, and the Galaxy A bid (A32 5G and A50).

Samsung said your information volition beryllium unafraid and that the transportation from the CommonHealth app to Samsung Pay is easy.

From what we tin tell, Galaxy owners volition request to usage the Common Health app to upload their immunisation records from their provider. This process volition authenticate your grounds and fto you show it successful the Samsung Pay app and stock it arsenic a QR code. It sounds akin to however Google Pay tin adhd vaccine cards.

Option 5: Use your phone's camera to scan and prevention your vaccine card

Finally, if your authorities oregon vaccine supplier doesn't enactment with your phone's wallet app to verify vaccination status, arsenic a past edifice you tin simply scan and prevention your vaccination paper with your telephone camera. Just beryllium alert the card-scanning method isn't verifiable and mightiness not beryllium accepted everywhere.

iPhone users

There are respective ways you tin scan your walk to iPhone. For instance, you tin unfastened the Notes app, make a caller enactment titled "COVID-19 Vaccine," and past click the camera icon. A paper should popular up with the enactment to scan documents. Point your camera implicit the card, and erstwhile it focuses, click the fastener astatine the bottommost of the surface to seizure an image. Alternatively, you tin usage a third-party scanning app. Google PhotoScan uses AI to marque your representation look similar a existent scan.

Android users

Android users tin download Google Drive. (iPhone users tin besides usage the Google Drive app.) Once you do, conscionable pat the "add" awesome and past the "scan" awesome (camera icon). From there, presumption your camera implicit your vaccination paper until it focuses and scans. You tin past prevention your papers by tapping the checkmark.

How to adhd a COVID vaccine paper to your telephone successful the UK

Brits tin usage enactment 5 arsenic described supra - which is to usage your phone's camera to scan and prevention your vaccine card. You whitethorn besides beryllium capable to usage enactment 4, oregon usage your phone's wallet app to store and entree your immunisation records. But there's besides a mode done the NHS, and it's overmuch much official.

Here's what you request to know.

Option 1: Use NHS COVID Pass to entree your vaccine records successful Apple Wallet

In the UK, it's much streamlined to entree your vaccine paper connected your phone. The main NHS app has been updated to alteration those who suffice for NHS COVID Pass successful England to adhd it to their Apple Wallet, alternatively than conscionable beryllium capable to entree it done the NHS app oregon download it arsenic a PDF. Adding your COVID Pass to your Apple Wallet means it's easy accessible, adjacent erstwhile you don't person an net connection. Pocket-lint has a guide that explains however the process works.

Just support successful mind, to get a COVID Pass, you request to beryllium treble vaccinated, oregon you request to person taken a antagonistic trial and reported the effect to the government.

Writing by Maggie Tillman. Editing by Britta O'Boyle. Originally published connected 19 August 2021.