Google Wallet adds unlimited ID and card tracking with ‘everything else’

Google has made a concerted effort in recent years to make its NFC Wallet app more useful, adding support for store loyalty cards, public transit passes, prepaid gift cards, and even some government digital IDs where possible. Today it makes the system virtually limitless, adding support for virtually anything via a photo scan.

It’s an obvious and natural shot. People often take a photo of a printed boarding pass or event ticket just to have a digital copy. Why not add that capability to an app you already use as a collection of payment and access cards?

Adding something that isn’t supported as a conventional debit or credit card or other form of ID is quite easy. As a test drive, I picked up an invitation to a BBQ on Labor Day. After taking a photo on the invitation, the app processed the image for a few seconds and then automatically filled in the name, date, time, and address of the event.

Michael Crider/Foundry

Michael Crider/Foundry

Michael Crider/Foundry

I was then given a very neat digital card with all the relevant information, and a copy of the photo as a backup just in case. The BBQ doesn’t really match the concert location on the digital map, but I think I see the connection. Automatically identified categories include business cards, insurance documents, passports, student IDs, vehicle registration, and voter IDs. Whether the relevant authorities accept a document on your phone is of course up to them.

While this part of Wallet is little more than a fancy document scanner, it’s smart to place it alongside the rest of Wallet’s capabilities for quickly scanning and cataloging your paper cards and small documents. In just a few seconds, information is added that is easy to organize and find. I wish it was added to a larger search tool like Gmail, but I understand why that information would be shielded somewhere like Wallet.

The app update appeared immediately when I downloaded it to my Z Fold 6. According to ZDNet, the feature is currently only available in the US. I suspect it will appear everywhere else soon.