Here I was thinking that Passbook was Apple playing catchup to Google’s Wallet app. The fact is Apple created a new standard complete with the PKPass file format. The event tickets, boarding passes, and store cards contained within that file are not supported by Android out of the box. Luckily, Android developers Attido Mobile have created a Passbook alternative for Android phones called PassWallet.

There is one thing to keep in mind: Since your Android phone isn’t running iOS 6, passes aren’t going to automatically download to your Passbook alternative. You will have to click the file link below the unsupported message to download the PKPass file. A fair amount of users missed the alternate download link and rated the app 1 star

PassWallet is a free app, though it is ad supported. If you want to test out PassWallet without risking your movie tickets (they can be expensive) you can try out PassWallet with sample passes of your own at PassSource. You can also use PassSource to create real passes by copying and encoding the messages printed in PassScan, Aztec, or QR codes within existing cards; it will all link to your account anyway.

PassWallet isn’t as flashy as Passbook; the cards are organized in a list and not a interactive wallet, but it gets the job done. If you’re not an Apple fan but you want to get in on the Passbook loyalty cards for your favorite stores, try PassWallet.

Get The PassBook App On Android WIth The PassWallet (APK) App

With ad support and a list view, PassWallet isn’t going to out-Apple Passbook, but it does provide support for PKPasses

Download PassWallet for Android – FREE [Google Play]

What do you think Passbook passes are most useful for? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.