back to article Randox's Certifly app for vaccinated international arrivals has to be side-loaded onto Android phones

If you're paying for a vital service such as a COVID-19 test when travelling abroad, it's reasonable to expect it to be backed by an approved app from one of the major app stores. However not if that test is from health lab Randox. No, to install its mandatory Certifly app on an Android device, you need to enable side-loading …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If you work for Google, do everyone a favour...

    And delay approval of this app as long as possible. Start being bloody difficult.

    This is a massive shift in state control and is blatant discrimination. It's all about control, aka. Implementing 'Digital Shackles', so people don't think for themselves, but like brain-dead idiots, look at the results of an App, before making a decision about you. That, in itself, will have massive implications going forward.

    None of us got into computing to control people using 'Digital Shackles', but to use software as an 'enabler', to make things simpler, so people could do more.

    It starts with the unvaccinated, but it won't be long before it's checking your medical record for sexually transmitted diseases, to enter a nightclub.(and that's just one example). The real humiliation and control, is only just beginning, and remember those at the top, will be exempt from all this intrusive bullshit, that is all about money, and nothing to do with humanity.

    1. Korev Silver badge
      Black Helicopters

      Re: If you work for Google, do everyone a favour...

      Oh, Bill Gates and the shapeshifting lizards are at it again? The swines!

      1. Oh Matron!

        Re: If you work for Google, do everyone a favour...

        I bet he has a driving license, though :-)

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: If you work for Google, do everyone a favour...

          Since when did a driving licence require injecting yourself with big pharma's lobbied for (and bought MPs), experimental poison?

          1. Androgynous Cupboard Silver badge

            Re: If you work for Google, do everyone a favour...

            Would love to stop and chat but off to fake moon landings. BRB.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: If you work for Google, do everyone a favour...

        It does sound a little tin foil hatted, but didn't the UK's ID database proposal at the time contain similar extensive powers? I remember something about if you were to apply for gym membership then the gym would be able to access your National Insurance number etc or some thing like that. The database was what was objected to most and lead to the opposition to the national identity card.

        The passport in terms of Covid-19 vaccination status on it own may be acceptable on 'public health' grounds but does anyone trust governments enough to believe 100% that function creep wouldn't occur?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: If you work for Google, do everyone a favour...

      >None of us got into computing to control people using 'Digital Shackles'

      Speak for yourself - Brexit, antivax, QAnon, 80 majority for the Cock Womble - sooner we start digitally shackling the idiocracy the better. Too many people lack the mental capacity for unrestricted internet access.

  2. g4ugm

    I had trouble after sideloading. I don't think it likes the complex passwords google generates which could also be why it isn't approved.

    1. John Robson Silver badge
      Facepalm

      That might explain why it wouldn't work for me on iOS either.

      It wouldn't load onto my "drawer" phone at all (for some reason a web form needs iOS15), and so I loaded it to a more recent device.

      Set up an account, then went to log in: "no account with that email ID".

      Ok, must have failed in the back end... create account again: "An account with that ID already exists"

      Maybe it just took a while? log in: "no account with that ID"

      Screw it, I'll just take a photo of the tests against passports and be done. App deleted.

      Of course, that's ignoring the fact that they allow you to search for user IDs which had been registered, since they give you a different error from "user/pass not valid"

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What if you don't use a smartphone?

    What if when they demand you load an app to your smartphone you hand them your feature phone and ask how you're supposed to run an app on it? "But everyone uses a smartphone! What are you some sort of luddite?" Not everyone uses one. Some of us don't want the hassle. A feature phone doesn't run the apps so doesn't need all the updates to security so doesn't splooge all our shite to the world+dog.

    "Yup you're a luddite." thinking wankers can fek right off. I'm using a computer to post this so go stick your head in a pig.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What if you don't use a smartphone?

      They don't demand anything, you don't have to use the app you can use a paper copy (as my mum in her 70s did recently when traveling). The requirement is that you have documentation to prove your vaccination status, that documentation can be paper or digital. The digital version is in the form of an app - none of this is particularly controversial or unique to Randox - the newsworthy bit is that Randox has managed to mess up the management aspects of their app release by not starting the certification process soon enough to have it completed in time for when it was needed. This is just about newsworthy, but more notable given that Randox has been in the news for the fact they definitely didn't pay a politician to lobby for them because that would be illegal... and we all know our government is above that type of thing.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: What if you don't use a smartphone?

        >they definitely didn't pay a politician to lobby for them because that would be illegal...

        Would it be more terrifying to discover that there is in fact nothing illegal about the entirely hypothetical situation you propose where a private company employs a former minister to lobby on their behalf in the course of their employment?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: What if you don't use a smartphone?

          That would indeed be legal, but when the minister concerned was "not lobbying, just raising matters they were personally interested in" they were a sitting member of parliament.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Scamdox

    I am all for anything that means I am not sharing a plane with plague carriers and lepers.

    But why do I have to book and pay for a day 2 test when I am only in the old country for one day?

    So I will be forking out 80 of your English pounds to Randox for nothing.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Scamdox

      Well, you can actually take your Day 2 test any time from Day 0 on. On my last trip I arrived at St Pancras Eurostar station at 10am, and was tested & done by 11:30 (and without going anywhere near Randox, who are fast becoming the Crapita of COVID testing).

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: Scamdox

        Yes that's the point. You need a test 3days before arrival to the UK, but even if you are only there for a day you need another one before departure. Which means you need to pay for a pointless test on arrival

        1. Down not across

          Re: Scamdox

          You need a test 3days before arrival to the UK

          Only if you're not double vaccinated. If you're vaccinated you don't need pre-flight test.

    2. codejunky Silver badge

      Re: Scamdox

      @AC

      "But why do I have to book and pay for a day 2 test when I am only in the old country for one day?"

      I thought this was incredibly dumb so I rang the ferry company. I rang the gov departments. And all said I needed to get a test even for 1 day. After ordering and paying for the test I am told the ferry companies got a work around where you are excluded from requiring such a test by selecting 'travelling through' the country.

      So what a wasted test. Still had a lat flow before leaving again.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: Scamdox

        The 2nd test is to check that you didn't contract covid during your stay in the UK. Which is why it's necessary to get it at as soon as possible after you arrive.

        1. codejunky Silver badge

          Re: Scamdox

          @Yet Another Anonymous coward

          "The 2nd test is to check that you didn't contract covid during your stay in the UK. "

          And yet had left before the result would be in. And had to test on return to the foreign country.

          I can only say what the ferry company told me when they put in the exception. They knew of the problem and had agreed that was the way out of it with them.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Scamdox

      @a/c

      "But why do I have to book and pay for a day 2 test when I am only in the old country for one day?"

      Rather that than being "groped" when you enter the U.S.A.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If only they had someone in the government who they could talk to...

    "Google Play has indicated that adjusted work schedules are causing longer than usual review times for app submissions"

    Erm... have they not tried pointing out the app's 'Covid' related and can they expedite matters. Oh, it's for Randox, so just treat it like one of their 'urgent' tests

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      How do you point this out to Google?

      AFAIK they have no Tory cabinet ministers on their board

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'll sort it out for them. I've got absolutely no experience in health tech or mobile apps, but I am the second cousin of a Tory councillor, so naturally qualified to consult. I'll even do it for mates rates - grand a day. Chicken feed innit?

  7. MJI Silver badge

    Why can't I just use my vaccination cards?

    Got two of them for 3 jabs

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Why can't I just use my vaccination cards?

      Cos they aren't "Cyber"

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why can't I just use my vaccination cards?

      Good luck using just your NHS Vaccine Certificate to get into countries.

      By design the UK NHS Vaccine Certificate does not support middle names, so it does not match the name in your Passport. This is a mandatory requirement in many countries for Vaccine Certificate to match travel document. As more countries, especially in Asia start opening up many people are UK people are having difficulty proving they are vaccinated and travelling. e.g. Thailand, Singapore, Qatar to name just a few.

      1. John Robson Silver badge

        Re: Why can't I just use my vaccination cards?

        Just don't have a middle name - easy

      2. Androgynous Cupboard Silver badge

        Re: Why can't I just use my vaccination cards?

        Use a bit of paper? This is still a technology focused site isn't it?

        Scan the QR code you get from the vaccination certificate; it's a Base64 structure (duh - QR can encode 8-bit binary, this just adds 30% to the barcode size). Decode that and it's JSON - looks like JWT, but if not it's very similar. More detail at https://www.nhsx.nhs.uk/blogs/the-code-behind-the-nhs-covid-pass-verifier-app/

        What I'm curious about is, if you land at Thailand or wherever - do they verify the digital signature on the data? Against which key? There's no certificate in the QR code, so there's obviously some presumptions being made about the source of authority.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why can't I just use my vaccination cards?

      If you're referring to the yellow international vaccination book, you can.

      That's all I have (because I refused to let myself be registered into yet some other database) and it works fine. I haven't been to the UK lately nor do I intend to, but elsewhere in Europe, in and ex EU, no problems.

      Mind, like many people who can afford it (not that I'm in any way happy about it) I no longer fly commercially, so I don't know what would happen at the check in desk.

  8. Stuart 18
    Thumb Down

    Ahah!!

    I was going to whine about conflicting statements:

    1. "At least the app didn't cost £14m" and

    2. Randy oxen being awarded "government contracts worth over £600m"

    Then I realised statement 1 would still be true if the app cost OVER 14m.

    Still I can whine:-) that the misuse of "least" implying that they got better value for money! Whereas, best case scenario, it was more of a loss leader for over half a billion pounds contracts awarded / given / presented.

  9. Old Tom
    FAIL

    For what it's worth...

    "Randox can confirm the CertiFly app has been submitted to Google and is awaiting review." (Nov 2021)

    This app is still not on Google Play and still must be sideloaded. After checking and double-checking that you've downloaded the apk from randox.com, the first thing it does is ask to scan your passport. Red flags waving like mad.

    Longest Google Play review period I've ever heard of! Must be the first app in history that got onto the iOS store and can't get on to Google Play. What the hell is going on with it?

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