Most people open Apple Pockets either Google Pocketsonly to pay at the cashier and that’s it. They use it as if it were a credit card without plastic, period. But that is only 10% of what these apps can do. Both digital wallets evolved into a kind of everyday smart folderand if you’re not making the most of them, you’re leaving incredible features completely abandoned. Here are five that you probably didn’t know about.
1. Your ID and driver’s license can now live on your phone
This is perhaps the most shocking and the one that least people know about. Both Apple Pockets and Google Pockets allow store your driver’s license or official ID digitallyand in some places you can already use it exactly the same as the physical document.
In the United States, for example, you can present your mDL (Cell Driver’s License) at TSA security checkpoints at compatible airports, without taking out your wallet. Apple launched its Apple Digital ID in November 2025, allowing you to add the passport or license directly from the Pockets app. Google Pockets followed suit and enabled the same option for Android 9 or higher, with biometric verification and encryption.
The best of this: you never give the phone to the officer. The US system provides encrypted communication between the reader and your device, so your data is not exposed. It is more secure than showing the physical document.
2. Digital keys: open your lodge, your car and your home with your iPhone
How many times have you been left looking for the key to your lodge room at 2 in the morning? With Apple Pockets, that doesn’t have to happen again. The app supports digital keys for hotels, compatible cars and even your front door, all from the same application.
The process is simple: the lodge sends a registration pass to your Pockets before you arrive, and when you step into the lobby, you already have your “key” ready. Some systems even allow you extend your stay or change rooms without going to reception. In the case of cars, brands like BMW and other manufacturers already work with Apple CarKey so you can start and open your vehicle directly from the iPhone or Apple Scrutinize.
Google Pockets is also moving in this direction with digital keys for hotels and residential buildings, especially in cities where the NFC system is already integrated into the infrastructure.
3. Order tracking, real-time flights and self-updating passes
This is where man-made intelligence comes into play. Apple Pockets now uses US Apple Intelligence to automatically detect purchase confirmation emails in your Mail app and convert them into tracking cards inside your wallet. No more searching for your Amazon or FedEx email: the tracking number, estimated delivery date, and package updates appear right in your Pockets.
Google Pockets does something similar through its integration with Gmail. If you activate the smart featuresthe app scans your emails for tickets, boarding passes and receipts to automatically add them. Additionally, if your boarding shuffle is admire minded, you will receive real-time notifications about gate changes, delays or any flight updates, without having to open any airline app.
Apple takes this one step further with Stay Actions on boarding passes, which show the flight status directly on the iPhone lock screen in real time.
4. Digitize any card, even if it is not officially recognized
Do you have a gym, library, or neighborhood club card that never appears as an option in the apps? Google Pockets has a solution: the option “Everything else”. By simply tapping the (+) button, choosing that category and taking a photo of the pass, the app generates a digital version with a QR code included. It doesn’t matter if the business has no official integration.
Apple Pockets also allows add third party passes through the Passbook format, and more and more businesses, gyms and loyalty programs offer this option directly from their apps or websites. The result is a digital wallet that can contain everything from your favorite coffee shop’s points card to a sports club membership card, all in one place.
5. Your credit cards autofill in any app with iOS 26
Finally, a fresh novelty that arrived with iOS 26– Apple Pockets now functions as the watch over center for the Card autofill throughout the operating system. Previously, that feature only worked in Safari. Now, when you pay within any app or fill out a form in any browser, your iPhone can automatically fill in the card number, expiration date, and CVV with a single tap and verification with Face ID or Contact ID.
This means that You no longer have to take out the physical card to enter the 16 digits every time you buy in a new app. Everything is centralized in Pockets, with the same security standards as always. A small function, but in daily use it makes a huge difference.
In short, both Apple Pockets and Google Pockets are much more than a contactless way to pay. They are a digital identity, a smart keychain, an order tracker and a document folderall in your pocket. The problem is that most of its users never discover these functions. Now that you know them, it’s time to get the most out of them.
Keep reading:
• Google Pockets launches special function for children
• If you use Apple Pay, be very careful with these online scam methods
• Apple Pockets prepares to integrate digital IDs in 3 states
