If you have a WearOS watch, you’re in luck! Google has just announced a surprise update featuring a highly anticipated addition you’ve been waiting years for. This new update installs quickly and easily, enhancing the already extensive list of functions your smartwatch offers. What’s the big news? WearOS now supports opening hotel rooms and other doors or section identifier passes.
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As you might expect, this new feature comes through Google Wallet, the app receiving the update. Thanks to Google Play Services, the wallet app now includes this exciting functionality. The best part? You don’t have to wait for your smartwatch brand to add the feature – Google handles everything directly.
If you already have Google Wallet set up on your WearOS watch, the update should arrive soon, if it hasn’t already. Once it’s available, you’ll be able to set up access cards easily. The process is seamless, letting you duplicate hotel room keys or workplace access cards directly onto your smartwatch.
Until now, these access passes could only be set up on your mobile phone using Google Wallet, and they wouldn’t work on your smartwatch. But with this new update, that has changed. Now, you can use these passes directly from your watch, making them, so to speak, “within reach.”
All you need to do is move your wrist close to the hotel door to unlock it—provided you’ve already configured the electronic key in advance. It’s as simple and convenient as that!
This update is fantastic news for all WearOS watches, without exception.
Since it comes through Google services, every WearOS smartwatch will receive the new feature. Even better, there are no time delays or extended waits—Google has already rolled out the update globally, and it’s just a matter of time before it reaches your device.
Whether you own a Samsung watch, a Pixel Watch, or a OnePlus watch, the update is managed entirely by Google and will be delivered simultaneously to all models. The best part? It’s designed to work seamlessly, even on older smartwatches.
With this update, Google is expanding Wallet’s capabilities on smartwatches. Previously, the app on WearOS watches was mainly used for making payments with credit cards. Now, it’s taking a step closer to offering more of the features available on smartphones.
The next possible step could be allowing users to carry other documents, such as a driver’s license or passport, directly on their watch. These features are already available in the smartphone version of Google Wallet but have not yet made their way to smartwatches.