Add a PKPASS File to Google Wallet or Samsung Wallet

A .pkpass file is the format Apple Wallet uses for boarding passes, tickets and cards. Google Wallet has its own pass format, and it adds passes in a few ways. In Google’s help page “Manage items in Google Wallet”, Google lists adding from an issuer’s “Add to Google Wallet” button, from Gmail (only with “Smart features” turned on), from a photo, and from a downloaded file. The downloaded-file section says a converted pass “may be limited in functionality” and may not get updates. It does not mention .pkpass or Apple Wallet, so we can’t tell you that it works for your file. It also says not every feature is available in every country or region.

Try opening the file with Google Wallet first: some users report that it works, but Google’s help page doesn’t list .pkpass. This site is not a wallet and does not create an “Add to Google Wallet” link. What it does: it opens the .pkpass file in your browser so you can see the pass and its barcode, and it can save that as an image. If the file came from an “Add to Apple Wallet” button, Apple Wallet on Android explains what that button does on an Android phone.

1. Save the .pkpass attachment from your email or messaging app to your phone.
2. In the box above, tap Choose a .pkpass file and pick the file. You can also try Try a sample pass first.
3. Check the pass and its barcode. Under it, Back of the pass shows terms and booking details.
4. Tap Save as PNG. The image of the pass, barcode included, is saved to your phone.
5. Tap Open another file if you have more passes.
6. Want paper? Print the PNG, or use the paid PDF export (from US$4.90): in the Print-ready PDF panel choose a plan and, after paying, press Download PDF. If the page does not unlock on its own, enter the license key from your email under Enter license key and press Activate. Details: convert a pkpass file to PDF.

Google’s help page describes a photo option: in the Google Wallet app, tap Add to Wallet, then Everything else (or Photo for a barcode photo, the page uses both names), take or pick a clear picture, check the preview, edit it if needed and tap Add. Google says this option is not available in India. The same page gives library cards, gym passes and parking passes as examples.

You could try this with the PNG you saved above. We have not tested whether Google reads a PNG from this viewer, and it may depend on the barcode type and the image. A pass made this way is built from the picture, not from the issuer’s pass data, so treat it as a copy of the barcode. It will not have the issuer’s updates, and it may not be accepted everywhere. For a boarding pass, Google also describes adding one from a screenshot on Pixel 3 and newer phones (Google’s help page “Save & use flight or event tickets”).

On the Samsung Wallet page on samsung.com, Samsung says a boarding pass must be added with the Add to Samsung Wallet button on the airline’s website or app, and that membership cards can be added by manual entry or by a photo. That page is on Samsung’s US site. It does not mention .pkpass files, and we found no Samsung page that says Samsung Wallet imports them, so we don’t claim it does.

What works on a Galaxy phone: save the file, open this page in Samsung Internet or Chrome, and choose the file. If tapping the attachment in your email app or My Files gives an error, save it first and choose it from this page. The step-by-step version is in open a pkpass file on Android.

• An “Add to Google Wallet” or “Add to Samsung Wallet” button. Look for one in the email, or in the airline’s or seller’s website or app. Samsung says its button for boarding passes is on the airline’s website or app.
• A PDF or a web boarding pass. Airlines and ticket sellers sometimes offer one.
• The issuer’s own app. It gives live gate and time changes, which a saved image does not.
• Third-party converter apps and websites. Some say they turn a .pkpass into a Google Wallet pass. We have not tested any, so we can’t recommend one. A pass often holds your name, booking reference and barcode, so find out what an app does with the file first. This page never sends it anywhere.

• It does not add the pass to any wallet. You get a view and an image.
• No live updates. A gate change or delay shows only in the issuer’s app, website or a wallet pass that the issuer supports. This page shows the file as it was sent.
• It can’t make a pass valid. Only the issuer’s scanner decides. Test-scan the barcode with another phone before you rely on it, and keep the airline or venue app as a backup.
• NFC passes. A pass meant to be tapped on a reader can’t be tapped from a browser or an image.
• Some issuers refuse screenshots or printouts. They may want their own app. Check their rules.

More: the main PKPASS viewer page, how to open a pkpass file on Windows, and a paper copy via convert a pkpass file to PDF. Why the format is Apple-specific: see the pkpass file format reference. If the file won’t open at all, see fix a pkpass file that won’t open.