How to Save a Vaccine Card on a Smartphone
Since a handful of cities and dozens of private businesses now require proof of vaccination in order to receive regular visitors , it is likely that at some point you will have to show your COVID-19 vaccine card to someone. Unfortunately, these cards are too big for most wallets and trouser pockets, and can get lost or damaged if shuffled – which is why you might want to save a digital copy on your smartphone instead.
So, what options do you have for easily (and securely) storing vaccine data digitally?
Take a picture of it
The easiest option is to take a photo of the vaccination card and save it in your photo library. It will most likely show up in your library or photostream by default, so if you want more privacy, there are a few extra steps you’ll have to take to hide it.
On iOS, tap the Share icon below the photo and choose Hide> Hide Photo from the pop-up menu to place the image in a hidden folder. This album can be found under the Album> Utilities> Hidden tab . You can also go ahead and hide your hidden album through Settings> Photos . Disable the Hidden Album option – you just need to turn it back on if you want to view your photos later.
If you have a Samsung, you can create a secure folder for your photos that will be unlocked using biometrics. Turn this on in phone settings > Biometrics & security> Protected folder . Then select a photo of the vaccine record, tap the More icon and select Move to Secure Folder .
You can also archive images that you don’t want to access often on Google Photos . Just select a photo and tap More> Move to Archive . You can find them later under Library> Archive .
Use a password manager or note-taking app
Most password managers have secure document storage, so if you use one of these services, you can store vaccination records behind a secure login and access them on any of your devices. Other note-taking and document scanning apps – like Adobe Scan and Evernote – can be good alternatives, since you at least need to be signed in to access your saved images.
On iOS, you can even use Notes to password protect individual scanned items. Open a new note, select Camera> Scan Documents, and scan the vaccine card. After saving the scanned image, click the three horizontal dots and click the Lock button to set a password or enable biometrics.
Download your state’s digital documents app
A number of states maintain special health record applications that residents can use to store and access their digital vaccine records: New Jersey and Utah use the Docket , and New York use the Excelsior Pass . Others have incorporated storage into shared digital document apps – for example, LA Wallet in Louisiana now supports COVID-19 cards . California residents can subscribe to receive a link to their digital vaccine record, which can be saved to Google Pay or saved as a screenshot and saved as a photo.
There are also applications like VaxYes that are not limited to specific states. Samsung Galaxy users can download CommonHealth to store vaccine records and add the card to Samsung Pay, while regular Android users can submit their vaccine cards to Google Pay.