How to add your vaccine pass to your phone's home screen
Our step-by-step guide to making your Covid check-in simple on both Android and iOS phones.
Our step-by-step guide to making your Covid check-in simple on both Android and iOS phones.
From next Friday, you’ll need to show your vaccine pass to enter many shops and facilities. You’ll likely be doing so a lot, so it’s important to make the process easy on yourself.
The simplest way to prove your vaccination is by saving it in a digital wallet on your phone. In addition, you can save even more time by creating a shortcut that immediately opens your pass.
Here's how, starting from the moment you receive your vaccine pass in an email from the Ministry of Health.
First, open the email on your phone. What you do next depends on if you have an Apple phone, or an Android (basically, any smartphone that isn't an iPhone).
Check whether you have the Google Pay app. It comes pre-installed on many Android phones, but is sometimes just called "Pay". On some phones, you may have to install the app from the Google Play store first.
Note that you can use Google Pay for your pass without loading a credit card to it (although the app will try to convince you to).
Update: We've heard several reports that when a Samsung brand phone is switched off or restarted, the shortcut to My Vaccine Pass is likely to disappear. If this happens to you, try adding Google Pay to your home screen instead, rather than troubleshooting the problem (we couldn't find any solutions online).
In the email:
You can now access the pass whenever you open your Wallet app, which comes pre-installed on iPhones.
You can open Wallet by double-clicking a button on your phone – either the side button for new iPhones, or the Home button for old ones. It even works from your lock screen. Annoyingly, you can’t use the double-click feature unless you have a credit card loaded on to Apple Pay.
If you don't want to add a credit card, or want a different shortcut for another reason, read on.
An icon will be added to your home screen. When you tap it, the pass will immediately be brought up, and your phone's brightness will be boosted for easy scanning.
You can tap, hold and drag the shortcut to reposition it. We recommend giving it prime real estate on the very first screen you see when your phone unlocks (along with the NZ Covid Tracer app) to save yourself time.
Couldn't use Google Pay as it refused to accept the pass. Copied it to Adobe Acrobat folder, but that didn't give me the option of saving it to the home screen, so then saved it into Google Drive, which did give me that option. So, all good -but really, for such an important document they seem to have made the process unnecessarily complicated. And I agree with a number of commenters, Google Pay is NOT a good app.
My galaxy note 10+ is not showing a 'Save to Home' option under the 3 dots icon. My partner's identical phone does show it. Do I need to change an option somewhere?
I have had the vaccine pass disappear from my screen when the phone is rebooted. A work around is to save the PDF to Google Drive & then put the PDF on your home screen.
My parents are elderly and don’t have email on their phone. Is there another way to get it?
I followed these instructions several times, but I have got no icon on my Oppo phone. I have to use the Google Pay icon to get the pass to open (ignoring the request for my card details). But the first time I tried to use it away from home, the pass would not open. The little circle went around and around. I did have a paper version in my card wallet to use. It works fine at home. Is it because it is using WiFi to work? That is the only difference between the two locations. I have it in my photos and will add a pdf as well. This system is too difficult because of too many variations among phones.
And I hate to think how long it will take to get into events now with having to scan, show pass, show ID and show tickets.
I suspect that you need data switched on to access Google pay. I have saved pass as document and added shortcut to this.
I also have had difficulty with Oppo phone. I have an Oppo and managed to get it OK but for the life of me, cannot get it work on my partners Oppo (which is a later version). So weird! I have tried EVERYTHING! So he will just have to put up with the printed version.
Tried to set it up earlier on my Android phone, but was in a hurry to go out. Had it in my photos which did work. But just now have succeeded in getting it on my home screen which is way better. Thanks for your help.
Fantastic, thank you so much Consumer. Found the instructions very easy for both phones and double brownie points for making it available to non subscribers - this is worth the yearly fee on it's own. Keep up the great work
S&B
When you purchase an oppo you get a clear plastic protection cover, I just printed mine out and stuck it between the phone and the cover for facing outwards, plus of course you can always download it as well
Two options
Just for those still using PCs, you have to open the email on the phone for the link to install on phone. If you open the email in Gmail on PC to install on phone (as you can do with play store apps etc) it never explicitly tells you that the link will not work.
YES THANK YOU. MUCH APPRECIATED HELP.
It's impractical for me to set up my phone for email - my vision is too poor for small fonts. I intend to avoid phone hassles by using my desktop computer to get a covid pass paper printout (and laminate it). OK or not?
Hi David,
Yes, it's absolutely fine to print a physical pass from your computer and carry that around! That's the easiest option for many, especially people that don't use their phones much.
Thanks,
Nick
Thanks for giving these instructions as I could not work out how to get the pass on my home screen. Glad you got rid of the flashing pictures though static pictures would have been good. However, we worked it out and life will be a bit easier now the pass is on our phone home screens. Thanks.
On my iPhone when I try to "add to wallet" my covid vacc certificate I get the "safari cannot download this file" message. Just so frustrating and time consuming trying to sort this out.
All of this info/instructional material is highly prevalent in the media and governmental websites and all the rest - why publish this type of material on Consumer? It seriously leads me to question what I'm paying my subscription fee for. Extra instruction on being a model citizen perhaps? I already am fully vaccinated, incidentally - yet have no negative attitude regarding those that choose not to be vaccinated, at this point. Please - write something useful and new!
Well I for one found it helpful, especially the "comment" by Ian M. - I hadn't seen the info you refer to and was wondering why there was no email response when I couldn't get it to download - then I read the Consumer item.
Consumer is a reliable source. I would be suspicious of instructions on some sites, especially as they lack obligation to provide accurate information
I also found it helpful to have straightforward instructions. I am quite tech savvy on a PC but less so on my phone. Also, I am happy paying my subscription and having Consumer provide this sort of information for all.
That's too fast to follow. My iPhone doesn't seem to be quite like the examples you show and I can't see how to get from making the new shortcut to finding the wallet app.
Your website has images that scroll way too fast to understand. Please slow them down!
An explanation on how to download the pass QR code to an Android phone that doesn't have Google Pay would be useful. Not all of us are happy to give Google our credit card details just to use the vaccine pass. This seems to be a requirement to use Google Pay.
I was pleased to read in instructions that I can load Google pay and NOT add a credit card to it
I have 12 & 14 year old. Pay Google is R18. They cannot access pay google on their phones because they have the appropriate parental monitoring. If this is our new way of living, it's got to be user friendly...please suggest a family friendly way.
then go to downloads and it comes up. i need a simple method like this. I also printed it for back up
I don't get why this has to be so complicated. I got my pass yesterday. Opened it on my Android phone using Adobe Acrobat and "starred" (favourited) it so it's easy to find. Just open Acrobat, tap the favourite icon and there it is. What's all this hassle about using wallet apps about?
Thanks Nick, that was super helpful :-)
Easier to click on the pass, tap the Share icon, choose Notes and Save. Pass is in your notes.
What about adding the International Travel Vaccination Certificate?
Way too complicated to follow. instructions flashing past. could to follow
Just screenshot the QR code on the pass. Add a shortcut to the screenshot on your home screen with https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/119000/access-image-file-from-home-screen
I’m struggling to understand any of these instructions so goodness knows how older, less tech-savvy people are going to manage it (not that I’m tech-savvy myself). I think I’ll just screenshot the pass. The government needs to come up with less confusing, more user-friendly solutions!
If Google Pay is not working (never has on my Huawai) download the vaccine cert from gmail to Google drive, open it from there, scroll down and "Save to home screen"
1. Don't bother trying to use RealMe, the process asks for your ID anyway. You may as well just use the other way, and have your photo ID ready. It's less stress overall.
2. Once you have access to your pass, get it printed, get lots printed. Cover them in plastic - duraseal, laminate, packing tape (the clear one of course). Put one in your car, one in your wallet, and if you have a clear case on your phone, chuck one in the back of your phone ready for super fast scanning.
3. OK, so you want to look digitally up with the play, I get that, if you can bring up the pass on your phone, learn how to do a screenshot, on most Samsungs it's the volume down+power button (and you may need to try a few times for it to click). This will save it as a photo in your photo app, like gallery, and it's always there for you to use. If you can master how to use 'My Files' and click on Images, it should be the first image you see, you can then create a shortcut to that image onto your phone's homepage (select the image by pushing your finger (long press) on the image listing until a tick appears on the left of it, click on the 3 dots/hamburger menu button, and click on 'Add to home screen', so you don't have to go looking for it in the photo app.
4. Finally, if you are really up against it, want it on your phone, but can't get it on your phone, take a photo of it with your phone - this is best done from a printed copy rather than one off screen, and you should test it works before relying on it, but, presuming it's a decent photo, it should work ok.
Me personally, I'm printing it out and putting it in the back of my clear case phone. And I'm tech savvy! It's just faster, and means while they are scanning me, I can prepare my phone to scan them (well, their covid location code that is!).
Good luck!
I found no problem using RealMe; it was much simpler than any other method. But that's asssuming you set up RealMe properly in the first place, which involved a trip to a PostShop to show ID... fortunately, I did that long before COVID arrived. It's been useful for several things since then.
Thank you!! Finally someone who knows how to offer real step by step instructions for those of us to whom technology is not so friendly. Followed it easily and now have my vaccine pass on my phone without the need to sign up to google pay :)
I've never been a fan for Google Pay and don't use it. I had no trouble downloading the card into GPay -but then it refuses to open the card until I install a screen lock, which I'm not prepared to do for personal reasons. Which means I can't take the next step.
Given that the card also comes in a pdf attached to the email, which can then be screen-shotted, trimmed and saved as a bitmap (and which incidentally can be quickly edited to falsify your details tho not the QR), they seem to have made the whole process unnecessarily difficult.
I have had a RealMe for about 6 years now. The Ministry of Health Vaccine Passport thing isn't integrated with RealMe *at all* even though it alleges RealMe can be used. I had to:
1. login with RealMe
2. get a verification text message to my phone
3. enter the code
4. lodge my email address
5. get a verification email sent
6. enter the code
And then I'm still asked for ID. Then it logged me out for some reason.
What is the point of asking me for RealMe if it's not going to be used at all? Why isn't the system set up for using RealMe when that was the point of RealMe in the first place (not having to give the same details to repeated govt departments)?
I'm going to wait until I am prevented from doing something on the basis of not having the passport. As it's only valid for 6 months, it seems to be a lot of effort for something that has a short usefulness period.
Finally, why was I basically ordered by the vaccination centre to hold onto my purple card when apparently that card is going to be ignored? It's as much evidence of my status and who I am compared to the passport. I wish someone would hold the Ministry of Health's feet over the coals for this.
Quite stupid actually. This should be set up without the need to be a member of google. Why can't it be loaded as with the Covid tracer app. This doesn't need Google pay or for me to join google.
How do you get the pass into your phone if you don’t have it set up for receiving emails?
I don’t have a credit card in my iPhone wallet but successfully added the pass onto the second window of my wallet
how did you get it in your wallet
I like the idea from other members. Take a screen shot and store on the home page of my phone or print out the document and laminate.
No way am I giving Google or Apple Pay my visa details to keep !!!
I don't have email on my phone. I read my emails on a laptop or iPad. The instructions given in this article will only work if you're reading the email from the Ministry of Health on your actual phone.
Also, every time I tap the vaccine pass shortcut on the home screen of my Android phone, I have to enter my PIN number. This is going to get annoying if we have to do it several times a day.
I've taken a screenshot of the pass and saved it in its own folder on my phone. Quick and easy to find and open
I am not sure that Consumer should be suggesting the use of Google Pay as a way of getting your pass on to your Android phone. If you look online at the Pay app reviews on Google's Play store, by far the majority of people who have posted recently are complaining bitterly about how poor the app is, and giving it a rating of only 1 star out of 5. Apparently Google replaced the original app with a new version recently, and that new one has quite a few failings!
That also is quite apart from the point another member has already made ... why should you have to give credit card details to Google just so that you can upload the V/certificate to your phone?
I have gone down the dual route of both printing the certificate AND saving the emailed .pdf document on to my phone, with a link to that on the Home screen.
I have My Vaccine Pass on the home page of my Android phone. However when I tap on it it comes up with a blank page until I put in my password. The problem is, it doesn't always give me the option of putting in the password, so I have to keep going in and out until the password option comes up, and that will be a problem when I have to use it out in the world. HELP!
My wife and I put the Pass on our Samsung Home Screens. Last night there was a large Android update. We found that both of us had lost the pass, and we had to reinstall it from Google Pay.
It is probably worth adding a warning to this article.
Also, I agree that the animated instructions are far too fast.
...and just print it out, laminate it (it's credit card sized) and put a copy in your physical wallet.
The screenshots in the instructions are changing on about a 1 to 2 SECOND cycle, hand are not only impossible to comprehend they are distracting and meaningless. I have not come across anything quite like them anywhere else.
SLOW THEM DOWN
Get rid of the animated directions which are very frustrating, and hard to figure out.
These are instructions not an advertisement or a puzzle.
I love pictures to help things work but your screenshots go through so fast I can’t comprehend them, is there any way of slowing them down?
3 in our family have their vaccine passes disappearing. On a S20, S10 and another samsung new. Mine on the 20SE has at least stayed there for 2 days so interested to hear any suggestions.
I have a new Galaxy 52s and the Passport deletes it's self from the home screen every day or two.
Hubby and I have same phone samsung A51. Shortcut stays on mine, but disappears on his.
Yes having the same problem with the Pass disappearing and having to download it again.
Samsung A50
I am unable to save the app to my wallet by using the "Add to Wallet" button followed by the "Add" button on my iPhone 7 with software version 15.1
Thanks
I was unable to add from the gmail app but it added easily from the iPhone's MAIL app.
As far as I can tell, the assumption is everybody will want to have a major financial instrument on their phone. I don't but I'd still like to load the vaccination image on my phone using that method.
How do I do that?
I saved the pass to my home page on my Samsung phone successfully. However every day or so the icon disappears. All my other apps are there but when I turn my phone on in the morning the app icon has vanished after having been there all day previously. So I go through all the steps again.
I also had mine disappear after adding it. Was working fine and it was there all day then the next day it had vanished. Also disappears if I restart the phone, Samsung S21 phone.
I just did a Google search and disappearing shortcuts is a known issue for Android. I've added a shortcut to Google Pay instead and that seems to be staying so far. It's an extra step - open google Pay then click the vaccine pass but still quite easy. It survived a restart, hopefully will still be there tomorrow.
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