I was on a US continental flight yesterday and my boarding pass was on my phone as a QR code.
One time, on an American flight, the scanner at the gate was somewhat of a C shape and my watch + wrist wasn't able to fit inside of it, which was quickly resolved by pulling out my phone and sliding it into the scanner.
On another positive note, TSA agents love it and always accuse me of being James Bond. Makes the screening process much more fun.