Digital boarding pass: how to organize yourself best

Apple Wallet and Google Wallet: what they actually do

From 2026 Apple Wallet offers "enhanced" boarding passes that automatically update gate and time, show directions on Apple Maps, and integrate baggage tracking with Find My, but only with airlines that have activated the feature, including American Airlines, Delta, United, Southwest, Air Canada, Lufthansa, and Qantas. Google Wallet, on Android, offers similar gate and delay notifications with airlines like American, Delta, and United. For more on digital check-in, here's a dedicated guide.

Screen brightness at the scanner

Increasing screen brightness before reaching the scanner makes automatic code reading easier; at terminals with older readers, a code that's too dark or has glare on the screen can require multiple attempts.

Screenshot and paper copy as backup

A backup screenshot saved in your gallery stays useful if the connection is unstable at check time, since the app doesn't need to update to show the code. For international flights, carrying a paper version anyway eliminates the remaining risk at terminals where scanners don't read digital wallets well.

Save your boarding pass to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet as soon as check-in is done, not at the last minute: once the pass is saved it stays readable even without connection, unlike some airline apps that sometimes need to reload over the network.