The International Air Transport Association, or IATA, announced today that it plans to launch a digital travel passport for COVID-19 test results and vaccination certificates on Apple's App Store around April 15.
As reported by Reuters, IATA has had the digital passport in development for the past few months and is currently undergoing beta testing. Initial plans called for the digital pass to launch at the end of March, but undisclosed reasons pushed the release into mid-Apri.
The app will show whether a person has tested positive for COVID-19 and may become the international standard for proving someone has been vaccinated.
Kamil Alawadhi, IATA's regional VP for Africa and the Middle East, says the new app will only become valid when counties, airports, and airlines adopt it and make it a requirement. Already, UK-based airline Virgin Atlantic said that it would begin a trial of the pass with a flight on April 16 from London to Barbados, which will require travelers to present upon arrival.
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.
Stupid. Whether or not I’ve had the vaccine is nobody’s business but mine.
you have to prove vaccination to 1) travel to many international countries, 2) go to school (elementary, middle, high, college, or post graduate including boosters if needed), 3) for select occupations (ie healthcare fields), 4) joining the military. And when I say proof, actual records from a facility.
This individual liberty nonsense is theatrical drama at best and is eye rolling because it either demonstrates lack of basic knowledge of how things have worked with respect to public health or stem from sheer foolishness.
you don’t want to comply? That’s fine, you’re not entitled to air travel, movie theaters, dining establishments, live performance venues. They’re largely private businesses. No shirt no service? Just as legal as requiring proof of serologic protection.
Soon, we’ll need a Covid passport just to walk into the grocery store or even our place of work. Is this how they start to condition us for what’s to come?
People who predicted this a year ago were called "conspiracy theorists". Welcome to the future where your freedom is a thing of the past. They like to call it "the new normal"
I see this as a positive development for a lot of reasons.
For one, establishing an international standard. Anyone who's traveled to undeveloped or underdeveloped regions has experienced carrying a cardstock vax card for production at entry ports.
Second, a large group of the population is wary of government sponsored vax passports, particularly in the US. But, to return to a life where we can do things like go to ball games and concerts, it's going to be a necessity. Too many people will forge or out and out like about their status, which is unacceptable. People might be more inclined to trust an industry group like the IATA than their government.
Finally, it will encourage more people to get their vaccine. I know a LOT of people have a hesitancy to do so. I understand the large list of reasons why. I certainly don't agree with them all.
I've had both doses of the Moderna vax. Our work got it for us early as we are front line essential, so I had my second shot back in February. My wife gets her second this Saturday. She was a bit hesitant, as was I at first. One of my doctors participated in the Moderna trial as a recipient. After speaking with him, I decided to go ahead with it.
Me and my wife both had minimal side effects. I had a sore arm and felt lousy the next day. She as well, but a bit tired. I had no side effects to the second shot. I was also previously infected with COVID and (obviously) survived.
I would encourage everyone who has not, and has access to get the vax. A large group of my co workers had it at the same time, and only 2 had reactions that were similar to a flu shot reaction.
Tuesday February 9, 2021 1:58 am PST by Tim Hardwick
NHS COVID-19, the contact tracing app created by the U.K. government, has alerted 1.7 million users to isolate following close contact with someone who goes on to test positive.
That's according to an official GOV.UK press release from the Department of Heath and Social Care, which has been collating data about the app since it was launched in September 2020. Over 1.7 million app users...
iPhone 12 production at a Foxconn factory in India has been cut by more than 50% amid a lockdown, and multiple reported cases of COVID-19 infections for workers at the plant, according to a new report from Reuters.
The main factory located in Tamil Nadu, a state under extreme lockdown measures, has been forced to significantly cut back on production. According to sources who spoke to Reuters,...
Today marked the kickoff of the third week of the Epic Games v. Apple trial, and this week is notable because Epic has finished with its witnesses and we're now transitioning to Apple witnesses, including notable Apple executives.
Apple Fellow and former marketing chief Phil Schiller, who is in charge of the App Store, took the stand today. Schiller will testify for up to nine hours, and...
Wednesday April 28, 2021 12:24 pm PDT by Steve Moser
Popular cryptocurrency platform Coinbase appears to be working to make its Visa Debit Card, Coinbase Card, compatible with Apple Pay for purchases in stores, in apps, and online.
MacRumors has discovered evidence of upcoming Apple Pay support for Coinbase Card in the Coinbase app code in the form of a recently added image asset called "CardGoogleApplePay."
The company's Coinbase Card for...
Apple CEO Tim Cook testified in the Epic Games v. Apple trial today, and some of the final questioning by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers did not appear to go in Apple's favor.
She spent several minutes grilling Cook on Apple's App Store policies and some of the statements that he made. "You said you want to give users control, so what's the problem with allowing users to have a cheaper option...
Apple has used its app review process as a bulwark in recent legal assaults on its App Store policy, and put particular emphasis on the security benefits for iOS users when buying apps. However, an investigation has found that almost 2% of the top 1,000 highest grossing apps on a given day were some sort of scam.
According to The Washington Post, which conducted the investigation, scam apps...
Apple and Google have blocked an update to England and Wales' contact tracing app that included a feature that would have collected user location data, breaking the companies' terms and conditions for contact tracing apps, the BBC reports.
Last year, Apple and Google partnered up to announce a COVID-19 contact tracing API that allows apps to track whether someone has been in contact with an...
Tuesday March 30, 2021 10:05 am PDT by Juli Clover
The Apple Maps app was this week updated with new COVID-19 guidelines for airports, providing iPhone, iPad, and Mac users with a quick look at COVID-19 travel requirements and easy access to each airport's full list of guidelines.
Airport data is being provided by the Airports Council International, with the information displayed at the top of each airport card. The Airports Council...
Tuesday March 16, 2021 12:10 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today updated its Maps app to display nearby COVID-19 vaccine providers across the United States to make it easier for people to find an appropriate location to receive the vaccination when eligible.
Vaccine location listings include operating hours, address, phone number, and a link to the provider's website where Apple Maps users can get more information about available vaccines and...
Tuesday February 16, 2021 4:15 am PST by Sami Fathi
Accurate and rapid COVID-19 testing has become a critical hallmark in the battle against the pandemic. Unfortunately, getting tested on a mainstream level currently requires a trip to a clinic or government instituted site. However, in a possible breakthrough of what it means to get tested, Kroger Health today announced it's planning to obtain FDA approval for the first smartphone-enabled...
Updates for Safari, FaceTime, and many other apps, Universal Control to let a single mouse or trackpad control multiple devices, new Shortcuts app, machine-learning Live Text detection and Visual Lookup, and more.
Top Rated Comments
This individual liberty nonsense is theatrical drama at best and is eye rolling because it either demonstrates lack of basic knowledge of how things have worked with respect to public health or stem from sheer foolishness.
you don’t want to comply? That’s fine, you’re not entitled to air travel, movie theaters, dining establishments, live performance venues. They’re largely private businesses. No shirt no service? Just as legal as requiring proof of serologic protection.
For one, establishing an international standard. Anyone who's traveled to undeveloped or underdeveloped regions has experienced carrying a cardstock vax card for production at entry ports.
Second, a large group of the population is wary of government sponsored vax passports, particularly in the US. But, to return to a life where we can do things like go to ball games and concerts, it's going to be a necessity. Too many people will forge or out and out like about their status, which is unacceptable. People might be more inclined to trust an industry group like the IATA than their government.
Finally, it will encourage more people to get their vaccine. I know a LOT of people have a hesitancy to do so. I understand the large list of reasons why. I certainly don't agree with them all.
I've had both doses of the Moderna vax. Our work got it for us early as we are front line essential, so I had my second shot back in February. My wife gets her second this Saturday. She was a bit hesitant, as was I at first. One of my doctors participated in the Moderna trial as a recipient. After speaking with him, I decided to go ahead with it.
Me and my wife both had minimal side effects. I had a sore arm and felt lousy the next day. She as well, but a bit tired. I had no side effects to the second shot. I was also previously infected with COVID and (obviously) survived.
I would encourage everyone who has not, and has access to get the vax. A large group of my co workers had it at the same time, and only 2 had reactions that were similar to a flu shot reaction.