I’ve given up trying to guess when they will and won’t ask for it, I keep it out until I get to my seat. This of course means that I have to put it away at my seat potentially delaying boarding. It’s especially possible pointless when Z1-2 are boarding, not that that is always followed.
Unless there are two gates accessible once part the GA who scans it which is, rare I believe, there is no real reason it’s needed, for the majority of passengers. I am and have been aware of exactly where my seat is in every airplane I’ve been on for many years thanks to the beauty of seat maps and OLCI.