A Google Wallet Change Message is a specific type of push notification automatically triggered by the Google Wallet system when a developer updates a critical, user-facing piece of data in a field on the pass. They are designed to alert the user to a material change on their pass.

A specific type of push notification automatically triggered by the Google Wallet system when a developer updates a critical, user-facing piece of data in a field on the pass, designed to alert the user to a material change on their pass.

Pass: Refers to a digital item stored in Google Wallet (e.g., a boarding pass, loyalty card, gift card, or offer/coupon).

A message that pops up on a mobile device (specifically the Android lock screen for Google Wallet), used to alert the user to the update.

The standard push notification that appears on the user's Android lock screen when a Change Message is triggered.

The element displayed on the front of the Google Wallet pass after the notification is tapped, which contains a button like "View Message" or "Review update."

The area within the Google Wallet app where the new content from the update is highlighted after the user taps the callout button.

Change Messages are triggered by updates to fields deemed important enough to warrant an immediate user notification. While the list can be extensive across different pass types (e.g., loyalty, offers, boarding passes).

Common examples of fields that typically trigger a Change Message when updated with the notification preference include:

The granularity of these notifications means you can choose to trigger an alert specifically when a loyalty balance crosses a threshold, or a tier status is upgraded, making them highly user-centric and engaging.

A Google Wallet "change message" typically triggers a standard push notification on the user's Android lock screen, informing them that a new message has been added to their pass, though Google controls the exact notification text.

Tapping this notification opens Google Wallet to the front of the pass, where a callout with a "View Message" or "Review update" button is displayed, leading the user to the back of the pass where the new content is highlighted.

This contrasts with an Apple Wallet push notification, which can have its content, including the message and a custom icon, fully customised by the issuer and appears as a direct banner on the lock screen. Furthermore, when an Apple Wallet pass is updated, the notification often includes the message content itself and appears on the lock screen as a "silent suggestion" or standard banner, whereas Google Wallet's push often serves primarily as an alert to check the updated message on the back of the pass within the app.

Tapping "Review Update" on the Google Wallet pass will show which fields were updated.

To enable change messages for Google Wallet fields you just need to add a change message for the Apple Wallet field. This will automatically ensure that the Google Change Message is shown.