Google Wallet rolls out support for Apple Wallet passes

Menu to add a payment card, transit pass, loyalty card, or gift card to Google Wallet
(Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • After mentioning the feature back in 2022, Google seems to finally add support to the "pkpss" file format to its wallet app.
  • Users can now import downloaded "pkpss" file format on Google Wallet to store digital passes.
  • The ability has been in the works since last year. However, some users reported that they could finally use it, and an official update is expected soon.

Google Wallet has been receiving new updates lately, and another one has been added to the mix: the ability to add the "pkpss" file format, which is the one that Apple Wallet uses.

According to Mishaal Rahman, Google Wallet features the ability to import digital passes from the "pkpss" format. Rahman notes that he received a tip from a Telegram user (Cob) showcasing the addition of the downloaded "pkpss" file format on an Android phone.

As mentioned, the pkpss file format is usually seen in Apple Wallet; however, a pkpss format download can be added to Google Wallet through a few simple steps, per the video shared by Rahman on X. Accessing the file from the system and later agreeing to some terms and conditions, the user could easily add it to the Google Wallet app as a digital pass.

The support for this feature has been long overdue, as Google said it was incorporating this feature back in 2022. However, Rahman spotted evidence of it being in the works last year. Regardless, the tip shared by Rahman on X indicates the feature is being rolled out to a few people. Some users who responded to Rahman's post have also acknowledged the feature's availability on their devices in certain regions.

The criteria for the rollout to Android devices still need to be determined. Nonetheless, we expect it to roll out soon officially through an update to the Google Wallet app. With the soon-to-be-expected rollout, users can easily store tickets and digital IDs as well as import them even in the "pkpss" file format on their Google Wallet app. The new ability eliminates relying on third-party services to import the said file format.

The new feature comes after Google Wallet recently gained the ability to save movie tickets and boarding passes directly from Gmail. Users getting ticket confirmations from Gmail could see their tickets being added directly to the Google Wallet app. The same update has also included the ability to archive older passes.

Vishnu Sarangapurkar
News Writer

Vishnu is a freelance news writer for Android Central. Since 2018, he has written about consumer technology, especially smartphones, computers, and every other gizmo connected to the internet. When he is not at the keyboard, you can find him on a long drive or lounging on the couch binge-watching a crime series.