Guide

How to add a pass to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet

Adding a pass takes a few taps. This guide covers how to add one to Apple Wallet on iPhone or Google Wallet on Android from a link, a QR code, an email or a text, how to use and remove it, and what to do when it won’t add. There is also a section for businesses on making the step easy for customers.

Last updated September 29, 2026. Facts about Apple Wallet and Google Wallet were checked against Apple’s and Google’s own documentation, linked in the sources.

Quick steps

iPhone (Apple Wallet)

Open the link, email, message or QR code that has the pass.
Tap Add to Apple Wallet.
Review the pass, then tap Add in the upper-right corner.

Android (Google Wallet)

Open the link, email, text or QR code that has the pass.
Tap Add to Google Wallet.
Accept the terms, then tap View in Wallet.

Add a pass to Apple Wallet on iPhone

Apple Wallet is built into iPhone, so there is nothing to install. Passes reach it in a few ways, and the steps are the same for all of them.

From a link, email, message or notification

Open the app, email, message or notification that contains the pass.
Tap Add to Apple Wallet. In an email, the pass may appear right in the message.
Follow the on-screen instructions, and tap Add in the upper-right corner if you’re asked to.

Apple’s rule is that you always see and approve a pass before it goes into Wallet, so a business can’t add a pass to your phone without you tapping Add.

From a QR code

Open the Camera app and point it at the QR code. When the link appears, tap it, and it opens the pass with the Add to Apple Wallet button. Many businesses put these on the counter, on receipts and on posters.

Use Safari for the most reliable result

Safari and Mail add passes to Wallet directly. If you tap a pass link inside another app and nothing happens, some apps’ built-in browsers don’t hand the file to Wallet, so open the link in Safari instead.

On a Mac or Apple Watch

Apple Watch. When you add a pass to your iPhone, it is added to your paired Apple Watch automatically.
Mac. Open the pass in Safari and click Add to Wallet. This uses iCloud to send the pass to your iOS devices, so iCloud must be set up for Safari on your iPhone or iPad and on your Mac.

Add a pass to Google Wallet on Android

Passes on Android go to Google Wallet and are saved to your Google Account. Sign in to your Google Account on the phone first.

From a link or QR code

Tap the link, or scan the QR code with your camera and tap the link that appears.
Tap Add to Google Wallet.
Read and accept the terms of service for Google Wallet and for the business that issued the pass. If you have more than one device, choose the one to save it to.
Tap View in Wallet. If the Google Wallet app isn’t installed, your phone prompts you to download it, then follow the on-screen instructions.

From an email or text

Find the message the business sent, touch and hold the link, choose Open in Browser, and then tap Add to Google Wallet. Opening it in the browser avoids problems with links opened inside another app.

From inside the Google Wallet app

Open the app, tap Add to Wallet at the bottom, and choose the kind of item you want to add, such as a loyalty card or gift card. The app also lets you add an item from a photo of a card or barcode.

If the link opens on a computer

Wallet passes are made for phones. If you open a pass link on a laptop or desktop, use your phone to add it:

iPhone: scan the QR code shown on the page with the iPhone’s camera and continue from there. (On a Mac you can also click Add to Wallet in Safari, as above.)
Android: open the same link on your phone, or use the Add to Google Wallet button if you are signed in to your Google Account.

Use a pass at the counter or gate

On iPhone

Tap the Wallet notification that appears when a pass is relevant, and confirm with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. Or double-click the side button (the Home button on older iPhones) to open Wallet and choose the pass. Then scan the code at the reader or show it to the attendant. On Apple Watch, double-click the side button and scroll to the pass.

On Android

Open the Google Wallet app, tap the pass, and hold the code up to the scanner.

A tip for both: if a scanner has trouble reading the code, turn the screen brightness up and hold the phone steady, close to the reader.

Remove a pass

	How to remove it	Good to know
Apple Wallet	Open Wallet, tap the pass, tap More, then Remove Pass and confirm.	Removing a pass on your iPhone may also remove it from your paired Apple Watch. Expired boarding passes and event tickets are hidden automatically, and can be viewed, unhidden or deleted from a separate list.
Google Wallet	Find the pass, tap it, then tap Remove pass at the bottom.	A pass connected to your Google Account is removed from all your devices when you remove it on one.

If the pass won’t add

Most problems come down to how the link was opened. This table covers the common ones.

What you see	Likely cause	What to try
Nothing happens when you tap the link on iPhone	The link opened in an app’s built-in browser that can’t hand a pass to Wallet	Open the link in Safari
No Add to Apple Wallet button	The issuer may not support Wallet passes for this link	Contact the business that sent it
Link opens the wrong screen on Android	The link opened inside another app	Touch and hold the link, choose Open in Browser, then Add to Google Wallet
Asked to install Google Wallet	The Google Wallet app isn’t on the phone	Follow the prompt to install it, then continue
Can’t add an Apple Wallet pass on a computer	Apple Wallet passes are added from an iPhone (or Safari on a Mac using iCloud)	Scan the QR code with your iPhone
Asked for an access code	The business protected the pass with a code	Enter the code they gave you
Says the pass was already saved	The business restricted the pass to be saved only once	Ask the business for a new link
Pass added but looks out of date	Updates arrive when the phone is online and updates are on for the pass; Apple doesn’t guarantee delivery	Check your connection, then ask the business to confirm the latest details
An error saving to Google Wallet	A problem on the issuer’s side	Contact the business that issued the pass

For businesses: make adding easy

If you issue passes, the moment a customer adds one is the moment you lose the most people. Small choices decide how many finish.

Use one link and one QR code. Let the page pick the right wallet for the phone, so nobody has to choose between iPhone and Android instructions.
Put the code where they’re already paying attention: at the counter, on the receipt, on the order or booking confirmation. A short line such as “Scan with your phone’s camera to save your loyalty card” is enough.
Use the official buttons. Apple provides Add to Apple Wallet badges and Google provides Add to Google Wallet buttons. Don’t make your own versions, and follow the size and spacing rules.
Tell iPhone users to open the link in Safari if you share it somewhere that opens links in a built-in browser, such as some social apps.
Keep friction low. Access codes and single-save restrictions add steps and can cause errors for people who are legitimately trying again. Use them only where you need them.
Test on both platforms before you print a poster.
Check the results. Watch how many people save a pass compared with how many see the link, and adjust where you place it.

The distribution section of our best practices guide covers the button rules in detail, and how to create an Apple Wallet pass without coding shows how to make a pass to share. New to wallet passes? Start with what is a wallet pass.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add a pass from a QR code?+

Point your phone’s camera at the QR code and tap the link that appears. On iPhone, tap Add to Apple Wallet and then Add. On Android, tap Add to Google Wallet and follow the prompts, then View in Wallet.

Do I need to download an app to add a pass?+

On iPhone, no: Apple Wallet is built in. On Android, passes are saved to Google Wallet; if the Google Wallet app isn’t installed, your phone prompts you to download it while you add the pass.

I don’t see an Add to Apple Wallet button. What should I do?+

Apple’s guidance is to contact the business that issued the pass to check that it supports Wallet passes. It also helps to open the link in Safari on your iPhone.

Can I add the same pass to more than one device?+

Yes. On Apple, a pass added to your iPhone is added to a paired Apple Watch automatically, and iCloud syncs passes across your Apple devices. On Google, passes are saved to your Google Account, so they show up on your other devices signed in to it.

What happens if I remove a pass by accident?+

Open the link or scan the QR code again to add it back. Some businesses restrict a pass so it can be saved only once, in which case you may need to ask them for a new link.

Will my pass update on its own?+

Yes, when the business changes it. Apple notes that updates aren’t guaranteed to arrive, for example if your phone is offline or updates are turned off for that pass, so if something looks out of date, check with the business.

Sources

Apple’s newer developer pages load dynamically, so where a number comes from Apple it is taken from its Wallet Developer Guide and support pages. If Apple’s or Google’s current documentation differs, follow theirs.