If you’re a Pixel phone user, you’ll know that the experience is pretty good, but it’s never perfect. One day, you might get the latest software updates and features, and the next day something stops working completely. One recent example is Google Photos, where you can’t share edited photos.
And while Google is usually pretty good at getting out fixes, it can be annoying. That said, some Pixel users can’t get tap payments and passes to work on their phones. The report comes from Reddit users and was picked up by the folks at Android Authority. This seems to be an intermittent issue, but you’ll want to keep an eye out.
Another day, another problem
The problem seems to be that the phone’s software doesn’t activate the NFC antenna when needed. To be clear, this doesn’t look to be a hardware issue, because it’s a problem that’s spread across a number of different Pixel phones, like the Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 10a, Pixel 10, and Pixel 9 Pro, just to name a few.
Force-closing the app doesn’t really seem to fix the problem. But some people report that restarting the phone gets things working again. You can also try clearing the Wallet app cache, but we don’t think that will be a permanent solution. If you own a Pixel and don’t carry a wallet, we highly recommend you start doing so.
This isn’t just for payments; it can also affect different passes. Anything that uses NFC can be affected, so be careful. You might see this issue until it’s too late. Going without a physical wallet is convenient until none of the cards in your digital wallet work.
I’ve never experienced Wallet failing on me before, but I always make sure to at least keep one form of ID and one credit card on me at all times just in case. Even so, we think Wallet is one of the best apps Google offers. Most people know it can organize your payment methods, but another feature that often flies under the radar is its ability to organize your life.
Wallet has evolved to take on nearly every type of credential. You can store your ID, passport, concert tickets, and even create custom passes yourself. It’s really quite remarkable once you start using it. You really will never go back. Again, once this bug is resolved, we recommend giving Wallet a try.