Google is now enhancing the Google Wallet for Wear OS smartwatches via a new update, which allows you to store and view more than just payment cards on your wrist.
This new upgrade seems to bring the Wear OS version of the app closer to the functionality of the Google Wallet app on smartphones. With this update, users will get the ability to see things such as boarding passes, event tickets, and loyalty cards directly on their watch. However, an official announcement is still pending, and users are starting to see these new features roll out.
Reportedly, users are now able to see “photo-based passes” on their Wear OS-based Watches in Google Wallet, as it allows consumers to add several cards and passes easily by taking a photo of them, even if they are not official digital versions.
Previously, these photo-imported passes could only be compatible with smartphones, which the original statement found to be an unnecessary limitation. This new update for Wear OS will offer the ability to access these passes directly from your smartwatches, which prevents users from unlocking their smartphones. This new integration seems more convenient for using things such as loyalty cards, gym passes, or event tickets that you have scanned into the applications.
On the other hand, Samsung’s Galaxy Watches are also based on Wear OS and support Google Wallet, which suggests that Galaxy Watch users will also get the ability to access almost all passes and cards on their smartwatches via Google Wallet.
Noticeably, there is still one limitation: Wear OS watches will likely only display passports and cards that have QR codes for scanning. Although it seems a sensible limitation. Google also lists “private passes” as “incompatible” with Google Wallet on the Wear OS, but that seems to be changing now. Currently, only the initial user has shared feedback on Reddit, so the rollout is just at the early phase and is yet to be in full swing.
