Google Wallet - adding all of my QR activity tickets

Instructions to add a QR activity pass to Google Wallet on Android

On your laptop or tablet: Open the activity ticket in whatever format - an email, pdf, jpg, png file, etc.
- this is key because you'll be using your phone's camera to take a photo of the ticket on your 2nd device - not a screenshot of the ticket on your phone (which isn't always possible for activity tickets, for security)

On your Android phone: (Sorry, I can't help with iPhone and Apple Pay, but perhaps someone else can)

• Open Google Wallet
• Click on the "+" sign (lower right) to bring up the Add to Wallet screen
• Click on "Everything Else" to add an activity ticket (this opens the phone's camera)
• Take a photo of the ticket - including all the details of the event time, date and location, and (critical) the QR code to be scanned at entry to your activity
• Click Done (or Retake, as needed)
• Wait while it processes ...
• Important: when processing finishes, edit the data as necessary, for example to change the date from dd/mm/yy to mm/dd/yy
• Click Add and view your pass as it now appears in Google Wallet, sorted by mm/dd/yy format (if that's your phone setting)

If you are able to take a screenshot of the activity ticket, you can follow the same steps except that instead of taking a photo on a 2nd device, you'll find the screenshot on your phone and add it that way.

But you can't always screenshot activity passes.

sounds like another tech tip for the October meeting - thanx

In case anyone reads this ....

It occurred to me, as I was glancing at all my shiny new Google Wallet tickets, that I made an error in judgment in revising all the dates to my own "mm/dd/yy" style. Not that I think the QR laser readers will care (they won't) but in the event that a human were to glance at a ticket, I've decided to enter all the dates in "dd Mmm yyyy" format so that it's (reasonably) clear to me and to readers in Europe.

I suppose you could even re-enter the date in the local language of the activity, but again, it's likely to be a QR reader, not a human, judging the ticket validity.

You can't "edit" the details of a ticket after you've added it, so I removed a few and added them back.

Unfortunately, I don't think Apple Wallet can do that. There are categories for adding Transit Cards, Debit and Credit cards, and a driver's license (or state ID) from seven states (unfortunately not MN), but there is no generic category for adding "Everything else." So unless the activity ticket/pass has a specific QR or button that allows it to be shared to Apple Wallet, you're out of luck.

I'm no Apple expert, but usually they're ahead of the game on tricks like this. So I had to research...

Is there an "Edit Passes" and then "Scan Code" option in Apple Wallet?

I found instructions but don't have an iPhone to try it:

https://qrcodedynamic.com/blog/how-to-add-a-qr-code-to-apple-wallet/

It’s definitely worth pursuing but these directions don’t work for me. The second step is Scroll down to Edit Passes. I don’t have that anywhere - either in Wallet or in Settings/Wallet.

Edit: I don’t think it’s possible without a secondary app. I am probably not willing to do that. For the ones where the issuer has not enabled Save to,AppleWallet, I save it to Files.

In answer to your original question about offline use, you could do a trial by putting your phone in Airplane Mode. I do know that Apple Wallet does not require data or WiFi to access passes (or credit cards) stored there.

I did read that you have to have a certain version of the Apple iOS. And I don't know what else may be required.

I did already confirm that my new Google Wallet passes worked fine in airplane mode, wifi off, no connectivity.

And I've got them the "old fashioned way" in Dropbox as backup.

I did read that you have to have a certain version of the Apple iOS. And I don't know what else may be required.

I have the most recent version; iOS 18, and it’s not working for me.

Hmmm, the only other thing I've found says "Verify that the QR code is designed for Apple Wallet."

If you are inclined, you could try a QR code that you already know can be added to Apple Wallet and see if you can re-add it using the manual scanning method. That would at least indicate whether it's a problem with a specific QR code or a problem with the process.

I realize that, at some point, it isn't worth the trouble.

ETA: I just realized that you said you can't even get to the step to add a new "everything else" type pass, so it doesn't really matter if the QR code is Apple compatible. Sorry about that!

Apple is very security conscious. It might have built only certain containers/paths for specific types of QR codes. As a programmer, "everything else" seems ripe for abuse.

Security firm:
https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/what-is-a-qr-code-how-to-scan

[snip]

Are QR codes safe?
Attackers can embed malicious URLs containing custom malware into a QR code which could then exfiltrate data from a mobile device when scanned. It is also possible to embed a malicious URL into a QR code that directs to a phishing site, where unsuspecting users could disclose personal or financial information.

Because humans cannot read QR codes, it is easy for attackers to alter a QR code to point to an alternative resource without being detected. While many people are aware that QR codes can open a URL, they can be less aware of the other actions that QR codes can initiate on a user’s device. Aside from opening a website, these actions can include adding contacts or composing emails. This element of surprise can make QR code security threats especially problematic.

Verify that the QR code is designed for Apple Wallet.

And therein lies the problem. Apple is very specific in that it says if you can't use a QR code to get a ticket in Apple Pay, then to contact the merchant to make sure they support passes in the Wallet app. Generally, if it's not supported, then you can't add it. I tried several weeks ago to add the Warner Bros. Harry Potter tickets I bought to Apple Pay, and it does not work.

It's funny, I just figured out why I worked harder this time to get tickets in to Google Wallet. I bought tickets for my Stockholm activities the night before or morning of my visits - there was no need. For Spain, I've been buying them up in advance. So I had more motivation!

Sorry that it doesn't work on iPhones. Usually I'm waiting for Android to play catch up. I do understand the security reason for this difference.

No worries, CW—I'm glad it's working for you. And I don't really mind, as I save them as an attachment in Wanderlog and also have them labeled in my email and in Notes. :-) I get paranoid about "losing" the digital copy so I always make sure I have backups.

Me too, Mardee, I've got them in email and Dropbox, as always. All of which I can get at with my tablet or my phone.

The Google Wallet is only on my phone. Talk about a security weak link!

If you are able to take a screenshot of the activity ticket, you can
follow the same steps except that instead of taking a photo on a 2nd
device, you'll find the screenshot on your phone and add it that way.

But you can't always screenshot activity passes.

Hey it worked, thanks. You're right about it not always working though. Tickets like through Ticketmaster are protected and a screenshot won't work. Luckily most of the time I can download those to Google Wallet.... most of the time.

Glad the screenshot worked for you, Allan, for tickets that aren't screenshot-protected. Although if you can open it on a second device, you can always take a photo. But there's no certainty that a photo will work .... I'm keeping my DropBox copies as backup, just in case.

Thanks to the thread author for the advice. I will definitely give it a try, I think it will be quite convenient. By the way, there’s a great online tool that works well on Android and iOS, especially if your ticket is in PDF, JPG, or PNG. With it, you can convert MOBI to PDF https://pdfguru.com/mobi-to-pdf or other formats, as it supports a wide range of them. I like that it works online, so there’s no need to install additional software. I think it's a great helper when you need to work with such common formats.

This will definitely make accessing those tickets easier so I don’t have to remember whether they are in File, Google Wallet, or and Email.

The last 2 European trips of 8 weeks each I managed with no paper tickets, reservations, or passes. It was marvelous!

I used my tickets from Google Wallet during my most recent trip and learned one thing. Quite a few of the ticket checkers wanted to see the original document photo - to manually check my name or the date or time of entry. And sometimes I think they just wanted to see their familiar format.

When you create each ticket, it stores your document photo in Google Wallet as well. After you open the ticket, it's just one extra tap to open the original photo.

Laurel, congrats on going paperless! I'm down to one piece of paper...a photocopy of my passport that stays in my room. Though even that is at risk, with the most online backups.

One less thing to carry and one less thing to remember to bring!

Just want to make an important point regarding Google Wallet: you may put all this stuff on your phone, which seems very handy, but just after I returned from a recent UK trip, my Google Pixel phone was deemed "not meeting Google security standards", and Google Wallet would no longer tap to pay. I am not alone, a Google search (they are ubiquitous unfortunately) will confirm this. Nothing can be done about it apparently - resetting, reinstalling Wallet etc was all pointless.

Having said that, there are other methods of doing tap to pay besides Google, but I have yet to try any of them. Does anyone have experience with any of them? Not wanting to thread hijack though!!

Wow, that's very limiting. It's rare that I take my physical credit card out to pay for anything these days. To answer your question, my Samsung phone has Samsung Wallet. That should provide tap to pay, but I've never tried it.

I used to use Google Wallet and tap into trains, buses and tubes, but now it doesn't work anymore for my phone

Apparently old Pixel phones, a limited cohort of Samsung phones and several Chinese phones were identified as having security problems in July, leading to Google shutting down Wallet access for those phones pending manufacturers issuing security patches. So issues with Google Wallet may well be the canary in the IT security coal mine.

My recommendation is for people whose Google Wallet stops working, contact your phone provider and get them to fix the security leak. It probably affects IT safety in other apps, too.

Good info, thanks jphbucks!

FYI my phone provider, who incidentally provided my phone as well as all the other stuff, didn't know anything about it, so useless. Secondly, it is a Google Pixel 4a phone, that Google themselves don't like anymore, so deemed "not secure" or whatever they decide to say. There is absolutely nothing to be done if I want to keep this particular phone, from all my research. Tapping to pay is indeed very handy, but something that I will have to live without in future, and which may affect other travellers. It really caught me off guard when it first happened, so I wouldn't have wanted to be standing beside a turnstile in London or Paris, trying to tap in vain to the tube or metro!

Wow, their own phone, go figure. Sounds like they want you to upgrade, whether you wish to or not.

Some of my relatives only recently got cell phones. After resisting them for decades. I doubt if they cared if they were old ones or not. They won't be putting anything on them (mostly) so it doesn't matter. Introducing them to how modern phones/websites have altered travel is mostly useless. Luckily, those are among the ones that will never (most likely) travel out of the US.

Obviously everyone needs to make their own decisions, but if the Pixel 4a has a security problem, I'd be looking for a replacement, Google Wallet aside.

+1 things-that-should-be-done

-1 people-that-care

(deliberately, with them; other people, other reasons)

Why use google wallet and go through all of this? Lots of free apps like Evernote where you can forward any of these tickets and access them offline? Forward the email, a pdf, a screen shot of the QR code or whatever you need.

I download them to my phone, then put a link to them on the phone home screen. One click and they pop up. I also have them in my WhatsApp (send them to myself) as a backup and they are in a password protected cloud folder that i can get to from any phone or computer in case I lose my phone.

put a link to them on the phone home screen

That would have been more than 50 links (including flights, hotels, trains, activities and reservations) on the home screen for my last trip!!