How to get the SingPass SafeEntry widget on your iPhone home screen to check in and out faster

While Android users have had the ability to customise every single element of their phone’s display for years, Apple fans are now just discovering the fun of creatively modifying their iPhone home screens thanks to the new iOS 14 update. 

Widgets on the iPhone home screen are the big highlight this time around — as they should be. They’re great at providing at-a-glance information you need without having to enter the app itself, so you can, for example, check out your upcoming appointments for the day via a calendar widget right on the home screen. 

Yes, we can hear you laughing in the back there, Android users. 

In any case, widgets are convenient shortcuts to access the things we frequently use, and that includes SafeEntry on the SingPass app to check in and out of places. The latest app update (version 7.0.0) for SingPass dropped yesterday (Sept 30) with support for iOS14 widgets, making it even easier for iPhone users to stay safe on the national digital check-in system. 

Here’s how you can get the SafeEntry widget plastered on your home screen. 

• Update SingPass Mobile on the App Store, make sure it’s on the latest 7.0.0. version. 
• Go to your home screen and long press on an empty area until the apps start jiggling
• There’s an Add button at the top left of the screen, indicated by the ‘+’ sign. 

• Scroll down until you can find “SingPass Mobile”. Tap that. 
• Tap “Add Widget”. This will throw you back to the home screen with the big SafeEntry widget waiting for you to drag around and place wherever you’d like it. 

Now you can check in with the QR code scanner or access nearby locations without having to dive into the SingPass app itself. The widget will even display where you’re checked in so it’ll be easier to remember checking out. 

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Alternatively, there’s another iOS 14-specific shortcut to check in and out — the hidden double-tap feature.

Instead of having to manually open the SingPass app each time, users can dive into the Accessibility settings and customise the “Back Tap” feature so double-tapping the backs of their phones will call up the SafeEntry QR scanner.

This doesn’t work all the time though, as the sensitivity of the trigger depends on the phone’s case — the thicker it is, the harder it would be for the iPhone to detect tapping. 

ilyas@asiaone.com