What you need to know
- The Commons Project Foundation has joined hands with Samsung to introduce SMART Health Cards within Samsung Pay.
- Once downloaded, the COVID-19 vaccine credential can be shared with trusted parties as a QR code.
- The feature will roll out to all eligible devices over the next two weeks.
Samsung today announced that it has partnered with The Commons Project Foundation to make it easier for Galaxy users in the U.S. to carry a verifiable digital version of their COVID-19 vaccination record. "SMART Health Cards" within Samsung Pay will roll out to the company's best Android phones over the next two weeks.
To add a COVID-19 vaccination record to your Galaxy phone, you must first download the CommonHealth app from the Google Play Store. Once the app is installed and your health information is verified through "secure authentication measures," you can download a digital version of your vaccination record in the CommonHealth app and add it to Samsung Pay by tapping on the "Add to Samsung Pay" link. The downloaded COVID-19 vaccine credential can be securely shared with any trusted party via a QR code by tapping on "COVID-19 vaccine pass" in Samsung Pay.
Even if you don't own a Samsung phone, you can still scan a SMART Health Card QR code and quickly verify your vaccination status. Apple is also working on a similar feature that will enable users to download and store verifiable COVID-19 vaccination records in the Health app. The feature will be making its way to iPhone users with the iOS 15 update later this year.
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