Google Wallet gets overdue feature to help fix iPhone ticket-sharing headaches

Google Wallet looks set to become much more useful by supporting Apple Wallet files, it'll finally be able to open and use tickets and passes created/saved in Apple's proprietary .pkpass file format. 

Android tipster Mishaal Rahman reported that the feature has been rolling out to some of his followers with several replies confirming they have access right now. However, the feature doesn’t seem to be available to everyone yet, which could mean the rollout is limited to certain regions.

In the past, some tickets and passes have only included an Apple Wallet link, which will only work with iPhones, leaving Android users out in the cold.

The improved compatibility would save Google Wallet users from needing to go through the difficulty of finding trustworthy third-party apps to convert the Apple passes. It could also prevent users from completely giving up on using digital passes altogether and having to dig through emails to find ticket confirmation or go back to the hassle of printing paper tickets.

The post features a recording from a user credited as Cob that shows the process of adding a work ID .pkpass file to Google Wallet. Using a file manager app the user opens the .pkpass file and is presented with several app options to use to open the file.

After selecting Google Wallet the user is prompted for permission with a screen explaining that Google may keep a record of passes for reference, while a continue button appears at the bottom of the screen.

Once the user proceeds, another permission request about Google's use of data appears. After this is agreed to, the pass is added to the digital wallet and we can see a QR code and that all the data has been copied over correctly including job titles, staff number contact details, and an expiry date.

Digital Wallets have become a more integral part of our lives due to our move away from physical currency and how ubiquitous phones, smartwatches, and NFC payments have become. However, due to the popularity of Apple’s iPhone Apple Wallet seems to be slightly widely accepted with Google catching up.

This is the second recent big change to Google Wallet, which is replacing the previous app Google Pay that’s due to be discontinued on June 4, 2024 in the U.S. It appears Google is streamlining its payment apps which could allow it to better compete with Apple.

Both Google and Apple Wallet apps have advantages and disadvantages but are considered the best payment apps with Google Pay being released back in 2011, which later became Google Wallet. And Apple Passbook was announced in 2012 and became Apple Wallet.

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