I’ve been a fan of Google Wallet for a while now, but I never really thought much about it. All I’ve done is add my credit cards to it, and I use them where possible. For my lifestyle, this is all I needed it for, so I never felt the desire to do much more with Google Wallet. It wasn’t until I took an overseas trip to Germany to cover IFA 2026 that I realized how useful Google Wallet could be.
Living in Michigan, I’ve never gotten to experience the delights of public transportation, so it was exciting to try that out in Germany. Buying a day pass for the transit was done via an app, like many things these days. What surprised me was that I was able to load the pass directly into my Google Wallet. This made it so I didn’t have to navigate through an app to show my boarding pass — it was all just available at the press of a button.
Google Wallet has always been capable of things like this, but it wasn’t until I actually had a reason to use it that I saw the vision. As soon as I got home, I loaded up all I could into my Wallet, and I’m not looking back.
Google Pixel phone series
Trivia challenge
From the original Pixel to the latest flagships — how well do you really know Google’s smartphone lineup?
HistoryHardwareSoftwareCameraDesign
In what year did Google release the very first Pixel smartphone?
Correct! The original Google Pixel and Pixel XL were announced on October 4, 2016. They replaced the Nexus line as Google’s flagship Android devices and were the first phones to carry the Pixel branding.
Not quite. The first Google Pixel was launched in October 2016. It marked a major shift for Google, moving away from the Nexus program to a fully Google-branded hardware experience.
Which Google Pixel series was the first to introduce a dual rear camera system?
Correct! The Pixel 4 was the first Pixel to feature a dual rear camera setup, adding a telephoto lens alongside the main sensor. Earlier Pixels famously relied on a single rear camera and Google’s computational photography to compete.
Not quite. The Pixel 4 was the first in the series to use dual rear cameras. One of the most impressive things about earlier Pixel phones was how competitive their single-camera systems were against multi-lens rivals.
What is the name of Google’s in-house chip that debuted in the Pixel 6 series?
Correct! Google Tensor was introduced with the Pixel 6 in 2021, marking Google’s move away from Qualcomm Snapdragon chips. Tensor was designed with AI and machine learning tasks at its core, powering features like on-device speech recognition and real-time translation.
Not quite. The answer is Google Tensor, which debuted in the Pixel 6. It was a landmark moment for Google, giving the company much greater control over how hardware and software work together on Pixel devices.
Which Pixel phone was the first to ship with Android 12 and its ‘Material You’ design language out of the box?
Correct! The Pixel 6 launched in October 2021 as the first device to ship with Android 12 pre-installed, introducing the bold ‘Material You’ design overhaul. Material You lets the system generate a personalised colour palette based on your wallpaper.
Not quite. The Pixel 6 was the first phone to ship with Android 12 out of the box. The accompanying ‘Material You’ design system was one of the most significant visual refreshes Android had seen in years.
Which Pixel model introduced the now-iconic horizontal camera bar stretching across the back of the phone?
Correct! The Pixel 6 introduced the distinctive horizontal camera visor bar in 2021, a bold design choice that set Pixel phones apart from the competition. The two-tone colour scheme and camera bar became a signature look carried forward into later generations.
Not quite. It was the Pixel 6 that debuted the horizontal camera bar design. This striking visor-style bar was a deliberate statement from Google that Pixel phones should have a unique and recognisable identity.
Which company manufactured the hardware for the original Google Pixel and Pixel XL in 2016?
Correct! HTC manufactured the original Pixel and Pixel XL under a deal with Google. Though Google designed the phones, HTC handled production — a partnership that eventually led to Google acquiring a portion of HTC’s smartphone design team in 2018.
Not quite. HTC was the manufacturer behind the original Pixel phones. The relationship between Google and HTC eventually led to Google purchasing part of HTC’s phone division for around $1.1 billion in 2018.
What computational photography feature, first introduced on the Pixel 3, lets users capture moments that happened before they pressed the shutter button?
Correct! Top Shot, introduced with the Pixel 3, uses the phone’s camera to continuously capture frames before and after the shutter is pressed, then suggests the best shot. It’s particularly useful for photos of moving subjects like children or pets.
Not quite. The feature is called Top Shot, and it debuted on the Pixel 3. By buffering frames before and after you tap the shutter, it helps ensure you always get a sharp, well-timed photo even in tricky situations.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold, released in 2024, competes directly in which smartphone category?
Correct! The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is Google’s foldable smartphone, competing with devices like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series. It features a large inner display when unfolded and a more compact form factor when closed, combining tablet-like screen real estate with pocket-friendly portability.
Not quite. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold sits in the foldable phone category. Google entered the foldable market to take on Samsung’s established Z Fold lineup, bringing its Tensor chip and Pixel camera software to a book-style folding design.
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Google Wallet changed how I travel
For the better, of course
I’ve been using Android for over a decade now, so I’m pretty deep into the Google ecosystem. I have a Chromebook, an Android tablet, and a Google Pixel 9a. It makes perfect sense for me to use Google Wallet, which is why I’m shocked that I don’t use it more often. I basically treated it as a way to pay for my groceries, but it’s so much more than that. Now, it automatically loads event tickets, movie tickets, plane tickets, credit cards, and it tracks my online orders. It’s a very useful app that doesn’t take much to set up.
Most tickets I buy have the option of being sent directly to my Google Wallet, so I don’t have to keep track of where I bought something since it’ll all be in the same place. It’s extremely easy to manage, and you can set it so you can put all of the cards you use most often available as soon as you open the app. This means you don’t have to do any digging around, and it makes everything a near-seamless experience.
There’s a lot of versatility in what you can add to your Wallet, and I see no reason not to use it. One of the biggest retail stores is finally on board with tap-to-pay, so support is only growing. I’m glad an overseas trip opened my eyes to how useful Google Wallet can be, and I look forward to using it more often.
One of the biggest things Google Wallet lets you do is leave your cards at home. I’m not a fan of bulky wallets, and since adding my bank and credit card to my Wallet, I have downgraded to a slim wallet that can fit into my back pocket without feeling like I’m sitting down on a rock. It’s also nice that you can accidentally leave your wallet somewhere and not have to worry about having somebody steal your cards if you don’t carry any with you to begin with. I’ve never had that happen to me, and I’d still have problems with my license being in my wallet if it were stolen, but at least nobody could rack up a bill on my credit card.
It’s still not a perfect experience
Not everything supports tap-to-pay
While in Germany, it felt like everywhere I went worked with tap, but that’s not the case in the United States. I’m not sure I could ever actually leave my cards at home, so I still have to take them with me. That sort of ruins the appeal of Google Wallet since I can’t fully rely on it. However, strides are being made, with most big retailers being on board, but I’d be concerned about not being able to pay at a restaurant.
I suppose this isn’t exactly the app’s fault, but it’s still difficult for me to fully buy in without knowing for certain that I can tap my phone somewhere to pay. As I said, I have a slimmer wallet now and just carry a single credit card with me, so it’s not like I have a million cards with me anymore, as it is. At the very least, Google Wallet can still keep my event tickets in order, and when I travel, I can keep my airplane and transit tickets in one spot. This is a major win in my book, and it’s worth using for that alone, even if you never load your credit cards into the app. My Pixel makes it super easy to get into my wallet and rifle through what’s in there, so I’m definitely excited to use it more in the future.
