Apple Says COVID 'Health Pass' Apps Are Limited to Developers Working With Public Health Authorities
Apple today informed developers that "health pass" apps can only be submitted by developers that are working with recognized public health authorities.
A "health pass" app is classified as an app that generates a pass that's used to enter buildings and access in-person services based on testing and vaccination records.
Apple says that to make sure these apps are responsibly handling sensitive data and providing reliable functionality, they're being limited to developers work with test kit manufacturers, laboratories, and healthcare providers.
With the recent release of COVID-19 vaccines, we've seen an increase in apps that generate health passes used to enter buildings and access in-person services based on testing and vaccination records. To ensure these apps responsibly handle sensitive data and provide reliable functionality, they must be submitted by developers working with entities recognized by public health authorities, such as test kit manufacturers, laboratories, or healthcare providers. As with other apps related to COVID-19, we also accept apps submitted directly by government, medical, and other credentialed institutions.
Apple has been restricting COVID 19-related apps since March. Apps providing data on COVID must be submitted by developers working with recognized entities such as government organizations, health-focused NGOs, companies deeply credentialed in health issues, and medical or educational institutions. Apple does not allow COVID 19-themed entertainment or game apps, nor any other app not submitted by a qualified developer.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Related Stories
The Australian government has introduced support for adding COVID-19 vaccination digital certificates to Apple Wallet via the Express Plus Medicare app on iOS.
Image credit: Tap Down Under As spotted by Tap Down Under, users who have received two doses of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine now have access to the digital certificate through their Medicare online account or via the Medica...
Apple today released watchOS 8.5, the fourth major update to the watchOS 8 operating system that launched in September. watchOS 8.5 comes two months after the launch of watchOS 8.4, which fixed a charging bug.
watchOS 8.5 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs...
Apple on Thursday seeded the first beta of iOS 15.4, and one of the software update's new features will be the ability for COVID-19 vaccination records in the EU Digital COVID Certificate format to be added to the Health and Wallet apps.
When iOS 15.4 is released, users will be able to add a EU Digital COVID Certificate to the Health and Wallet apps by opening the Camera app, scanning the...
Facebook parent company Meta today announced an upcoming fitness update for the Oculus Quest 2, which will allow fitness data captured during VR workouts to be integrated with the Apple Health app.
Right now, when people exercise with interactive games like Liteboxer, Beat Saber, or Dance Central using the Oculus Quest 2, the data can only be viewed on the Oculus Mobile app on the headset...
Thursday November 11, 2021 8:26 am PST by
Sami FathiApple has been talking for years about the role it wants to play in human health, led by the Apple Watch and its array of health-related features. With the Apple Watch maturing and Apple increasing its integration of health-focused hardware and software, several pieces of evidence suggest the company is positioning itself for an even bigger expansion in that direction.
According to trends...
Apple will require retail and corporate employees to submit proof of receiving a COVID-19 booster shot, or else face frequent testing to enter the workplace, the company announced in an internal email obtained by The Verge.
"Due to waning efficacy of the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines and the emergence of highly transmissible variants such as Omicron, a booster shot is now part of...
Apple today released iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS and iPadOS 15 operating systems that were released in September 2021. iOS and iPadOS 15.4 come a month after the launch of iOS 15.3.1 and iPadOS 15.3.1.
The iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 updates can be downloaded for free and the software is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To...
The iOS 15.1 beta that was introduced today allows iPhone users to upload their COVID-19 vaccination status to the Health app and then generate a vaccination card in Apple Wallet.
The Apple Wallet vaccination card can be shown to businesses, venues, restaurants, and more that are requiring vaccines for entry.
As outlined in an announcement to developers, verifiable health records are...
Popular Stories
The standard 41mm and 45mm models of the Apple Watch Series 8 will feature the same design as the Apple Watch Series 7, according to Twitter user @ShrimpApplePro, who was first to reveal that iPhone 14 Pro models would feature a new pill-and-hole display.
Titanium will not be an option for the standard Apple Watch Series 8 models either, according to @ShrimpApplePro, but Bloomberg's Mark...
With August upon us, the countdown is officially on. We're just weeks away from when we're expecting Apple to announce the iPhone 14 lineup. Rumors of the next iPhone start early in the year, and as a result, some details about the upcoming device sometimes get lost in the crowd.
Exclusive MacRumors iPhone 14 Pro renders by graphic designer Ian Zelbo To help MacRumors readers, we've created a ...
Android-based smartphone company OnePlus today announced the launch of its newest device, the OnePlus 10T, which we were able to check out ahead of time. The OnePlus 10T, priced starting at $649, boasts upgraded camera technology, so we thought we'd pit it against the iPhone 13 Pro Max to see just how it measures up.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The OnePlus 10T...
You've probably experienced visiting a website like Reddit or LinkedIn on your iPhone only to be greeted with an annoying, almost full-screen pop-up urging you to view the content in their app instead of on the website.
It's a common practice for websites that have accompanying iOS apps to push users to open (if they already have the app installed) or download their app from the App Store to ...
Apple Watch Edition models are beginning to sell out just weeks before the Apple Watch Series 8 lineup is expected to be announced.
Several of the high-end Apple Watch Series 7 models with titanium casings are listed as "currently unavailable" on Apple's online store in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and select other countries. In the United States, availability of 41mm...
Top Rated Comments
You said "but others get to choose whether you get to participate in collective events limited to those who have taken steps to protect themselves and those around them"
The vaccine, as far as we know, doesn't protect other people, because right now they are saying you can still both get and spread the virus after being vaccinated.
So, if that is true, why do you care if someone else gets it, if they choose not to vaccinate? You are at no more risk if you have it. It literally doesn't effect you at all and yet you want to force your ideals into someones arm and then shun them from society if they don't conform.
Personally, I'm getting the vaccine, but this idea that "oh well you have to get it or else we can't let you in places because muh safety" is gross. The science right now is just that the vaccine will prevent death in most cases, but you still get it and spread it, so the vaccine only helps the individual who gets it, and no one else.
I don't believe that you actually care about the lives so much of the people who don't want to get it that you want to force them into their homes for their own safety, I think you're just a miserable authoritarian who doesn't want to be around anyone who doesn't do what you want them to do.