Australia delivers Apple Wallet support for COVID-19 vaccine certificates

Australians who received a COVID-19 vaccination can now carry around digital proof of inoculation in Apple Wallet thanks to new integration with the country's Express Plus Medicare app.

The Australian government this week rolled out a "COVID-19 digital certificate" that supports digital wallets like Apple Wallet and Google Pay, reports Tap Down Under. Having a copy of the certificate handy at all times will be beneficial if and when businesses and other entities begin to require vaccination status information.

According to a newly updated government webpage detailing the feature, Australians can access their digital certificate through the Express Plus Medicare app or online via my.gov.au.

Those using the Express Plus Medicare app for iOS are already logged in to the country's Medicare services and can simply select "Immunisation history" from the Services menu and tap on their name. A COVID-19 digital certificate will be displayed with options to add the document to Apple Wallet or Google Pay.

Accessing the digital certificate online requires that a user sign in with a myGov account, enter the Medicare section and select "View statement" on the "Immunisation history" tile. A PDF version of the certificate can be generated for storage in Wallet.

Like other passes, tickets and coupons stored in Wallet, Australia's COVID-19 digital certificate can be uploaded to iCloud and synced across all devices linked to a user's Apple ID.

Australia's digital certificate arrives days after the UK introduced its own "vaccination passport" with Wallet support. That document, called the NHS COVID Pass, is available to vaccinated individuals and can be downloaded from the NHS app for iOS.

10 Comments

mattinoz 9 Years · 2488 comments

About 3 years ago

This may actually be the only thing they have gotten right given they ballsed up....

... literately everything else...

I can only assume this pass was slipped in someone in the team not telling anyone.

libertyforall 16 Years · 1417 comments

This is all a dangerous precedent. Authoritarian "Papers please".

It is not ANYONE's business if you did or did not.

ArchStanton 3 Years · 200 comments

libertyforall said:

This is all a dangerous precedent. Authoritarian "Papers please".

It is not ANYONE's business if you did or did not.

Unfortunately too many people don't think past tomorrow. Always an emotional knee jerk reaction to day's headline -- never a thought to what today's decision will mean in 2 months or 2 years later.
Imagine what today's "health" card might include in a year or two or three? Virtually anything can be labeled as 'for the public health' when this is decided by scary headline!! and emotional knee jerk people.
No power given or right given away to the powerful is every given back.

Kuyangkoh 7 Years · 838 comments

Well…..most of our personal info are in public now a days. So why so afraid?? At least the wallet is somewhat secured

seanj 16 Years · 322 comments

Link648099 said:

Vaccine passports, and anyone who pushes them, can go to hell.

It’s more likely the unvaccinated will be the first people in hell given they’re the ones who are making up the majority of hospital cases due to their stupidity. Darwinism in action.

As for vaccine passports, it’s a good temporary measure until the pandemic is over. Those of us who have travelled internationally in the past are familiar with the paper versions required for some countries. It’s no big deal unless you’re paranoid.