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Google Health is building a passcode lock for shared medical records
Nov 10, 2026 — 11:14 AM ET
- Google Health is working on a new feature that could let users protect shared medical records with a generated passcode.
- Recipients would need the passcode to access shared Health Summaries, even if they have the link or QR code.
- The feature was spotted in Google Health version 5.12.1, but there’s no word on when it might roll out.
Google Health’s latest version 5.12 app update brought several new bells and whistles to the app, though not everything has been made widely available to users just yet, including a potentially upcoming option to lock shared medical records behind a passcode.
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We found clues hinting at the development in the app’s new version 5.12.1.health-mobile-1104141583-1017635139 build, and it leverages the app’s August-announced Smart Health Links (SHL) integration. SHL, for reference, is an open standard that lets patients share their health records with healthcare providers.
The Google Health app currently gives users the option to generate Health Summaries to be shared via a QR code or URL. You get the option to select which medical records to include, and the app generates a summary and puts it behind a link or a QR code that can be shared with the relevant department.
The only safeguards here are that the link expires 7 days after being created and that users can revoke access at any time. This is where a potentially upcoming feature could come in to make sharing health records a little more secure.
Keep prying eyes out
Strings spotted in the new build suggest that Google is working on giving the app a new “Protect with generated passcode” feature, which will show up within Health Summary sharing settings. If enabled, recipients of the health record will need the passcode to access the document — simply having access to the link or QR code would no longer be enough.
<string name="health_summaries_share_config_passcode_toggle">Protect with generated passcode
<string name="health_summaries_share_config_description_passcode">Create a generated passcode to protect this record. Anyone viewing it will need to enter this code, so share it separately.
<string name="health_summaries_share_copy_passcode_description">Copy passcode
<string name="health_summaries_share_passcode_label">Passcode</string>
<string name="health_summaries_share_passcode_unavailable">Passcode can only be viewed on the device that created this link.</string>As highlighted in the strings above, users will likely have a “Copy passcode” button when they first generate a health record. Google suggests sharing the code separately.
Interestingly, a different string suggests that the generated passcode “can only be viewed on the device that created” the link, suggesting that even if you’re logged into the same Google account on a different phone, you won’t be able to view the generated passcode there.
For what it’s worth, locking health records behind passcodes isn’t necessarily a new concept. HL7 SMART Health Cards can already be locked behind a passcode, but it entirely depends on the sharing application’s implementation. Google now appears to be bringing that existing capability directly into Google Health.
It’s unclear if and when Google plans to roll out the feature. We’ve only been able to spot it in code, so we don’t really know what it will look like. We’ll keep an eye out and update you if we learn more.
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