PIING
Reading Wallet passes and cardsGoogle Wallet passes
Wallet passes and cards
- Apple Wallet passes
- Google Wallet passes
- Physical NFC cards
- Issue and manage passes
- Where to place Piing blocks in Shopify
- Wallet messages and optional web push
- Send a test push
- Claim links and QR codes
In this guide
- How a customer adds one
- What the pass shows
- Relevant store locations
- How it identifies the customer
- Tap and scan
- Keeping the pass up to date
- Apple and Google together
- Next steps
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Google Wallet passes
How Google Wallet passes work in Piing on Android, what the card can show, and how QR check-in and Wallet messages work.
A Google Wallet pass is the Android version of the Piing membership card. The customer saves it once, scans its QR code in store, and keeps useful programme or visit values on a card they already carry. Unlimited Google Wallet passes are included in Piing’s $199 USD monthly base, including for brands with no physical stores. There is no pass-count tier or per-pass fee.
Piing issues Google passes from its own issuer account by default, so there is nothing for you to upload or renew. A brand migrating to its own Google Wallet account can provide its Issuer ID and service account JSON in the advanced Issuing & NFC section. Piing activates that change with the brand before new passes switch issuer.
How a customer adds one
The customer can start from your storefront, checkout, order status page, customer account, kiosk join route, email or SMS, or a printed QR. Piing verifies their Shopify account before handing over a customer-specific pass. Signed-out customers sign in through Shopify; entering somebody's email address is not enough to claim their pass. The verified customer then chooses Save to Google Wallet. See Claim links and QR codes.
What the pass shows
The pass carries your brand and the supported fields you choose, including name and member ID, tier, points, store credit, membership status and visit values. Each value needs its issuing data source; unavailable fields are marked in the editor. The balance can come from a supported loyalty app, Shopify store credit, Piing visit count, or be omitted for simple membership. Saving a design refreshes matching issued Google objects, including passes already held by customers.
Piing currently issues a Google GenericObject with a membership layout and QR code. Google controls parts of the layout and text appearance. Do not expect an exact copy of the Apple design. The preview flags fields that will not be sent to Google. Use Check with sample data for long names, zero balances and large balances, then inspect an installed Android pass.
Relevant store locations
A Google pass can carry up to ten relevant store locations. Enable nearby suggestions and choose stores in Notifications → Settings → Nearby Wallet suggestions. The option is off until you enable it and select stores. Maintain store addresses in Shopify → Settings → Locations. Switching the option off and completing Save and update passes submits updates to remove nearby locations from existing Google passes. Keep the page open until requests are submitted; Google pass updates then continue in the background. Check Wallet Studio for progress or retries.
Nearby reminders require Google Wallet notifications and precise, always-on location access. Google chooses the distance, timing and wording; Piing's Apple distance setting does not apply to Google. Customers can dismiss a reminder with a swipe or change Wallet permissions. Piing does not receive continuous customer location, and a reminder is not a recorded check-in. This feature does not enable Smart Tap. Google’s nearby-notification guidance. For update retries and customer control, see nearby Wallet settings.
How it identifies the customer
The QR value carries a customer-linked Piing identifier. Piing resolves it to the linked Shopify customer and creates the check-in. The pass can also display customer and programme values selected by the merchant, so only expose fields that are useful to the holder.
Tap and scan
A Google Wallet pass currently checks in by QR. The code can be read by the kiosk camera or a compatible scanner at the till. Piing does not currently enable Google Smart Tap, so do not plan a Google phone-to-reader NFC journey. A physical Piing card remains an NFC option for customers who need one.
Keeping the pass up to date
Once saved, the pass can refresh as the connected source or visit record changes. Design and customer updates are processed in the background. Passes Google cannot find yet are checked again without holding up other customers. A data-only update keeps the card current; a Google Wallet message is the optional customer-visible layer. Message frequency and priority are shared with Apple Wallet. See Wallet messages and optional web push.
Apple and Google together
Most brands publish both platforms. They share the customer record, event model, programme choice, and notification controls, but each platform has its own design and published pass. Apple can support VAS NFC after approval; the current Google route uses QR. For the iPhone version, see Apple Wallet passes.
Next steps
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How physical NFC card tokens are generated, programmed, linked, tested, activated, and managed in Piing.
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