Google Wallet adding new ‘linked passes’ setting

After introducing transit payment verification settings, Google Wallet is adding a new one to “Automatically add linked passes.”

Part of a new “Passes” sub-section — joining Notifications, Emails, and Animation — in Google Wallet settings on Android, “Automatically add linked passes” is enabled by default: “Allow pass providers to automatically add related event tickets, promotions, offers, and more to your existing passes.”

The “Learn more” link takes you to a Google Support article that isn’t live yet. However, there is developer documentation from Google about Auto Linked Passes, which lets a provider “send additional passes to a user who already has your existing pass in their Google Wallet. You can also pre-link passes to a primary pass when a user saves the primary (main) pass.”

Google says the “Auto Linked Pass is grouped with the primary pass with a callout above the primary pass informing the user that a new pass has been linked.” This is supported by the following pass types: Event, Boarding, Transit, Offer, Gift card, Loyalty, and Generic. Example use cases include: 

• Link an offer to an existing loyalty card.
• Link a meal voucher to a boarding pass or event ticket.
• Link a parking pass to an event ticket.

Hopefully, this won’t be abused and used to clutter the pass list with unwanted promotions and offers. The option to disable the auto behavior is appreciated.

We’re seeing this new preference with version 24.10.x of Google Wallet, and it appears to be more widely rolled out than Verification settings.

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