News

Samsung Pay Introduces Support For Digital COVID-19 Vaccination Cards

The feature is currently available only in the United States.

Published

5 years ago

August 28, 2021

samsung pay introduces support for digital covid-19 vaccination cards

In 2021, digital COVID-19 vaccination cards have become reality for many people around the world who decided to take the vaccine in order to better protect themselves and their loved ones from the deadly infectious disease that brought the world to a stand still last year.

Now Samsung, in partnership with The Commons Project Foundation, a non-profit public trust established to build and operate digital platforms and services for the common good, has announced that Samsung Pay users can use the mobile payment and digital wallet service to store digital versions of their COVID-19 vaccination cards.

“As more and more consumers use their Samsung devices as a digital wallet, it is a natural extension to make Covid-19 vaccination records more easily accessible,” explains Rob White, Sr. Director of Product for Samsung Pay at Samsung Electronics America, in the official announcement. “We are proud to partner with The Commons Project Foundation on this important initiative and to help make life easier” he added.

samsung pay digital covid-19 vaccination card

Here’s what you need to do to add your own COVID-19 vaccination card to Samsung Pay:

Open the Google Play Store app and download the CommonHealth app to your device.
Follow the instructions provided by the CommonHealth app to access your COVID-19 vaccine information.
You can then tap the Add to Samsung Pay link to transfer your COVID-19 vaccine information to Samsung Pay.
Launch the Samsung Pay app and tap the COVID-19 Vaccine Pass on the homepage.

At the moment, this handy feature is available only in the United States, and we have no information on global availability.

Also Read: Mastercard Plans To Say Goodbye To Magnetic Stripes In 2024

Of course, Samsung can’t force any business, educational institution, or other places to actually accept digital vaccination cards stored in Samsung Pay, but we predict that the willingness to accept this form of COVID-19 certification will only increase as more similar solutions become available.

News

Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users

Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.

Published

2 months ago

February 27, 2026

Nour Nasir

Google

Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.

The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.

Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.

The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.

Also Read: RØDE Adds Direct iPhone Pairing To Wireless GO And Pro Mics

Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.

By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.

The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.