3 Android Wallet Apps That Work Exactly Like Apple’s Passbook and Pay

Passbook on iOS, now called Wallet, is a great wallet app to store all your digital passes, tickets, loyalty cards, and gift cards. You can use these passes to do check in for flights, save your movie tickets or hotel check-in passes and even use it to show reward or gift cards in stores while checking out. It reduces the paper clutter and as everything is in your phone, things become more organized.

After I switched from iOS to Android recently, I started missing the feature on my Android device. I started taking screenshots of emails and websites while checking-in to some event. Certainly not what I had in mind. The moment I felt what I am really missing is when I was emailed a passbook file through an online service provider when I asked for a duplicate copy of my air ticket.

But then I thought, there has to be an app for this and started searching. To my rescue, Google launched Android Pay and things have gotten way easier since then. I found 2 other great Android wallet apps on Google Play Store that provide the same functionality as iOS’ passbook or Apple Pay on any Android device. Let’s have a look.

1. Android Pay

Android Pay is Google’s offering to its users that allows you to store your debit card, credit cards, from different bank accounts and gift cards from different stores. It uses the NFC technology for contactless payments that is more secure than using physical cards.

This Android app keeps your card information secure under multi-layer encryption. Android Pay is different than Google Wallet as the latter only allows Android phones to save bank accounts and transact money. However, you cannot use Google Wallet to pay your bills, which is a cakewalk with Android Pay.

No fingerprint, no need to flash your Mastercard and American Express card, just tap your Android phone for contactless payments using the NFC technology and your job is done.

Developers at Google have designed this Android app for more seamless and secure mobile payments at credit card terminals. So, next time you’re dreading the long queue at Walgreens, relax because app developers at Google have made shopping way easier for Android phone users.

2. PasBuk

Pasbuk is a great mobile app that tries to bring a similar experience of iOS passbook in a way Android users will appreciate. Using the app, you can scan the passbook QR code to add all the information or just add the pkpass file you download from your email or the web.

PasBuk is simple and organizes all your passes in categories that you can select from the sidebar. All the information can be viewed from the Info icon in the Android app and even can be added as calendar events. There are two sorting options available from the three-dot menu so that you have your latest passes at your fingertips.

The only thing I didn’t like about the app is that it doesn’t associate itself to the pkpass files and tapping on a file on the email doesn’t invite the app automatically. Passes need to be added manually. The next app fixes that for you.

3. Pass2U Wallet

Pass2U Wallet is another app you can try to manage passbook son Android. This one has a few more features when compared to the former. When you click on the information button on any of the passes, you get the option to show the passes on the lock screen, just like iOS. Also, the passes are automatically detected on web and email and added instantly.

Here also, you get categories in the sidebar. Now that I think about it, the Pass2U Wallet gives a better experience than the iOS Wallet. You can also search through your passes and coupons. The feature saves a lot of time when you have a lot of passes and you are in a rush.

Under Settings, you get the option to add all the passbook files you have on your SD card. You can also back up your passes to Google Drive and restore them on other devices, a feature you don’t get on any other passbook management app on Android.

Have Any Recommendation?

So these were the two iOS Passbook Wallet-like apps you can use on your Android. If you would like to recommend any other passbook on Android, please join us in our discussion forum.

Did you know that Samsung also has its own app for mobile payments, called Samsung Pay. This app is available on Samsung Galaxy devices.