Google is consistently enhancing the Google Wallet functionality for both Android and Wear OS platforms. The latest enhancement is the support for airline boarding passes on Wear OS smartwatches. This is a first-of-its-kind feature for Google Wallet.

The feature was initially discovered on a Pixel Watch 2 on January 9 by technology site 9to5Google, and has been confirmed by several users of Wear OS smartwatches on Reddit. The new functionality will ease the process of displaying your boarding pass when boarding a plane as there is no need to use your phone. The functionality is eligible for all Wear OS devices running on Wear OS 3.5 or higher versions.

Like any new feature rollout, it may not be immediately available on all smartwatches. However, boarding passes are currently visible on most Wear OS watches. If you add your boarding pass to your Google Wallet app on your phone, it should automatically appear on your watch. A notification stating boarding pass for your flight to  will appear in your notification center.

You have the option to tap that notification and press the view pass button to access your boarding pass. You can also access the boarding pass via the Google Wallet app on your smartphone. Regardless of the method, your Wear OS watch will display all boarding passes saved to your Google Wallet. The pass will be presented as a QR code, which can be scanned when you're at the departure gate.

While boarding passes are not the first travel-related cards to be integrated into Google Wallet, they may be the most practical. The app can also accommodate public transit cards for San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Toronto. Google Wallet also collaborates with OMNY, the service accepting payments for New York City buses and subways, via any NFC payment card.

Moreover, Google has plans to extend support for more transit systems in other cities including Seattle in the future. Additionally, Google Wallet allows users to save payment cards including debit and credit cards. Last month, it also started supporting store loyalty cards which will be displayed in the Wallet app on Wear OS, similar to recently added boarding passes.

However, it should be noted that COVID vaccination cards, insurance cards, and other private passes are not yet supported. Boarding passes are the first type of private passes available on Wear OS. Google is planning to expand the support for digital IDs on the Google Wallet to a larger number of states. The expansion is expected in the upcoming months, although the exact states have not yet been announced.