Google announced an update to Google Wallet today with new features, such as the ability to convert images into passes, a boarding pass integration with Google Messages and an additional layer of security when saving health cards.
The company said that users will soon be able to quickly scan barcodes or QR codes from things like gym passes or loyalty cards and save them to Google Wallet. The feature also supports scanning these codes from an existing image of an e-commerce return QR code or a digital parking ticket.
Google is also working with insurance company Humana to help customers save a digital version of their insurance card to Google Wallet. Additionally, folks in the U.K. will be able to save their National Insurance Number to the Wallet app using the HMRC app. These health cards will be saved with a special label called “Private Pass.” Users will need a second form of authentication like a fingerprint or a device PIN code to access them.
The app is also expanding its support for government-issued IDs in the U.S. The company is rolling out support for saving a Maryland ID or driver’s license to the Wallet app — users will need a phone running Android 8.0 with device lock enabled. Google said that more states will be supported in the coming months — Arizona, Colorado and Georgia will get similar features. It added that, later in the year, it will introduce use cases for saved IDs to verify online accounts or rent a car on car-sharing services like Turo.
The search giant is also working with Vietnam Airlines and Renfe (Spain’s national railway company). This way, people who receive their booking confirmation through Google Messages can save their boarding pass to Google Wallet. Plus, restaurant reservation systems like TagMe will be able to send Google Wallet-ready passes to users for their reservations.
Google is working on bringing corporate passes and badges to Google Wallet as well for access to different areas of the office. The company is also expanding the app’s use for transit passes. In Germany, users can now easily save their Deutschlandticket that could be used across public transport.
The company first launched Google Wallet at Google I/O last year to let users store different cards in over 40 countries. Since then, it has expanded the app access to 20 more markets.
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