Google has introduced a nifty feature for its digital payment app Google Pay on Android today. It will enable users to save and display their COVID-19 vaccine and test cards on their smartphones.
The company announced this new feature via an official blog post. Starting today, the developers of health organizations, government agencies, and organizations authorized by public health authorities will be able to use Google Pay’s Passes API to create a digital version of the COVID vaccine cards and test information. Users need to be running Android 5 or newer update to display their COVID-19 information as a digital card on their Google Pay app.
For the unaware, as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the population of countries such as India, and it has become significant for everyone to not only get their vaccines but also show proof of vaccination. So, instead of carrying a physical card with vaccine or test information, Google intends to help users access their COVID vaccination records digitally via the Google Pay app.
However, it is worth mentioning that the digital vaccination providers of users are required to be using the new Google Pay Passes API to let users save the COVID vaccination card on their Android devices. So, once they support the new API, you will be able to locally store your vaccination card in the Google Pay app.
Moreover, the Mountain View giant says that it will not store any of your data in the cloud to respect user privacy. As a result, the company will not share the data with third parties or use it for targeted ads.
Plus, once users store the digital version of the COVID Card on their devices, they will be able to access it via a shortcut on their home screen. It will work even when the user is offline or have a weak internet network. And more importantly, users need not install the Google Pay app to access the COVID cards on their devices.
Coming to the availability, Google aims to initially release this feature in the US. Going forward, the company will enable the feature for users in other countries as well.
