Actually, you just want to grab a coffee to go. But at the entrance to the café you are slowed down and asked for a 2G proof. Okay, the smartphone with the digital vaccination certificate is quickly at hand, since you rarely put it down anyway. But then the search for the identity card begins. Because in order to prevent fraud attempts, the employees are instructed to compare the name on the vaccination certificate with a valid identification document. As you rummage in your bag, a line forms behind you. The stress level increases because the wallet just doesn’t show up. Many people must have experienced this scene up close – as people searching or waiting in line. But that should soon be over. In the future, if you wish, you can save both your vaccination certificate and ID in the Luca app on your smartphone – and speed up entry to restaurants, cafés and other event locations.
The best smartphones and cell phones
Apple
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Per
top camera
Bright 120 Hertz display
against
Slow loading
No jack socket
Apple
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Per
Enormous battery life
top camera
against
Big and unwieldy
Slow loading
Apple
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Per
OLED display with top contrast/colours
Very high work pace
Apple
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Per
Long battery life
Very high work pace
against
No telephoto lens
Display without 120 Hertz (only in the 13 Pro)
Samsung
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Per
Super display – large, sharp, high-contrast and extremely bright
WiFi 6E
against
Big and heavy
No memory card slot
Apple
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Per
Long battery life
Large OLED display
against
Heavy and a little top-heavy
OnePlus
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Per
Brilliant, crisp 120Hz display
Very good photo quality (main camera)
against
Average selfie camera
No jack connection
Samsung
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Per
Fast processor
Bright, high-contrast display
against
Display could be sharper
No memory card slot
OnePlus
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Per
Very high speed
Very good screen
against
Memory not expandable
No jack socket
Google
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Great screen
Good photo quality
against
No jack socket
No memory card slot
Complete list: The best smartphones and cell phones
Partner app found
The official announcement of the Luca update came a few days ago. However, the technical details for implementation remained open. The only thing that was clear was that the ID verification should be done via a partner app. Now it is known what it is: Culture4life GmbH, operator of the Luca app, has teamed up with IDnow, a leading German provider for identity verification, to combine digital vaccination certificates and verified ID data. “We are providing the catering trade with digital tools that they can use to work more efficiently and cost-effectively and to get back to the pre-corona level more easily after all the lockdowns. In addition to the integration of payment services, this includes the uncomplicated ID solution that we are now providing with IDnow,” says Luca Managing Director Patrick Hennig about the new function, which is scheduled to come in February 2022.
Local data storage and full control
If you want to present both documents digitally in the future, you will need the IDnow app in addition to the Luca app. You use the latter to identify yourself once, whereupon the smartphone saves your digital identity locally and encrypts it using a secure element (smartphone chip, part of the SIM card, etc.). The Luca app links proof of identity and proof of vaccination. Only the identified person can check in – it is done using a fingerprint or Face ID via the Luca app. Since the data is completely local on the smartphone and neither Luca nor IDnow have access to it, users retain full control themselves. At least that’s what IDnow promises. Data protection should also be guaranteed in this way. “With this use case, Luca and IDnow are setting a positive example for the use of digital identities in everyday life. While the use of digital identities is already very popular in other European countries, such as Belgium and Sweden, Germany is lagging behind. IDnow wants that are changing and are already working with other partners on relevant use cases that simplify everyday situations with the help of digital identity,” says Armin Bauer, co-founder and technical manager at IDnow. It remains to be seen whether the ID function will make the Luca app, which is becoming less and less important, more attractive again.
