What’s new in Wallet and Apple Pay

Take passes and payments to the next level with new enhancements to Wallet and Apple Pay. Make your event tickets shine with rich pass designs in Wallet, and bring great Apple Pay experiences to even more people with third-party browser support. We’ll also look at how to disburse funds with Apple Pay on the Web and highlight new API changes that help you integrate Apple Pay into even more purchasing flows.

Watch Video (18 min)7 min read

Summary

Apple Pay on web now works across all browsers on iOS 18+, enabling seamless payments via QR code scanning.
New applePayCapabilities() API replaces deprecated canMakePaymentsWithActiveCard(), offering improved capability detection for Apple Pay button display.
Funds transfer support expands to web, allowing users to send money to Apple Pay cards with instant transfer option via "supportsInstantFundsOut".
Ticketing passes gain richer UI with semantic tags, new artwork assets, event guides, and integrated live activity for easier event info access.
Developers must update Wallet pass JSON and Apple Pay JS SDK to leverage new features; CSS-only Apple Pay buttons are no longer supported.

Presenters

Tanya Al-Rehani, Wallet and Apple Pay Engineer
Masha Koubenski, Wallet and Apple Pay Engineer

Apple Pay on the Web Updates

Cross-Browser Support with iOS 18

Users can complete Apple Pay checkout on any browser by scanning a QR code generated at payment.
Payment flow is secure, private, and mirrors Safari Apple Pay transactions without extra developer effort.
Existing Safari-based Apple Pay JS code largely works unmodified.

Integration Checklist

Use Apple Pay JavaScript SDK v1.2.0+; import in <head> for quick load.
Use Apple Pay button component from JS SDK, not CSS button implementations, to support non-Safari browsers.
Switch from canMakePaymentsWithActiveCard() to the new applePayCapabilities() API for better feature detection and button prioritization.
canMakePayments() remains valid for basic Apple Pay availability checks.

`applePayCapabilities()` API

Returns an object containing paymentCredentialStatus with these values:

paymentCredentialsAvailable: Device supports Apple Pay and has active cards; show Apple Pay button as primary.
paymentCredentialsUnavailable: Device can pay, but no active cards; do not show the button.
paymentCredentialStatusUnknown: Apple Pay supported, but card info unavailable (e.g., non-Safari browsers); show button, ordering up to developer.
applePayUnsupported: Apple Pay not supported; do not display button.

Refer to Apple guidelines on button usage and UX.

Funds Transfer on the Web

New Web Capability (iOS 18+, macOS 15+)

Supports sending funds from stored value or bank accounts to Apple Pay cards.
Requires payment processor support for disbursements.
Uses disbursementRequest inside Payment Request API modifiers.

Payment Request Setup

Add "supports3DS" for typical funds transfer.
Add "supportsInstantFundsOut" to merchant capabilities for instant transfers.
Include fees as additional line items, setting amount to zero if no fee applies.
Disable shipping options by setting requestShipping=false, since goods are not shipped.

// Instant funds transfer availability check

const paymentMethodData = {
  supportedMethods: "https://apple.com/apple-pay/",
  data: {
    version: 14,
    merchantIdentifier: "merchant.identifier.example",
    merchantCapabilities: ["supports3DS", "supportsInstantFundsOut"],
    supportedNetworks: [
      /* networks here */
    ],
    countryCode: "US",
  },
};

// Define PaymentOptions

const paymentOptions = {
  requestPayerName: false,
  requestBillingAddress: false,
  requestPayerEmail: true,
  requestPayerPhone: true,
  requestShipping: false,
};

// Modify payment details to support instant funds out fee

const paymentDetails = {
  total: {
    /* ... */
  },
  modifiers: [
    {
      supportedMethods: "https://apple.com/apple-pay",
      data: 1,
      disbursementRequest: {
        requiredRecipientContactFields: ["email", "name"],
      },
      additionalLineltems: [
        {
          label: "Total Amount",
          amount: "15.00",
        },
        {
          label: "Instant Transfer Fee",
          amount: "0.15",
          disbursementLineItemType: "instantFundsOutFee",
        },
        {
          label: "Merchant Name",
          amount: "14.85",
          disbursementLineItemType: "disbursement",
        },
      ],
    },
  ],
};

Error Handling

Use ApplePayError with transaction type context.
Errors:
- unsupportedCard: Card can’t accept funds.
- recipientContactInvalid: User contact info issue.

Merchant Category Codes (MCC) Support

Specify MCC in payment requests to classify business type.
Helps Apple Pay show only valid payment cards, improving transaction success.
MCC codes must follow ISO standard 79450.
Check with your payment processor for your business MCC.

Ticketing Updates in Wallet

Richer Pass Experience

New pass style “poster event ticket” with updated UI:
- Event logo, date/time prominently displayed.
- Footer with primary seating info and secondary logo.
- Artwork assets added (artwork, secondaryLogo) support new layout while preserving backward compatibility.

Enhanced Ticket Requirements

Include semantically tagged metadata for system features like event guides, map, weather, and music integration.
Specify preferred style as posterEventTicket in pass.json for new layout.
Include NFC entitlement to enable contactless entry.
Include all primary, secondary, auxiliary fields for backward compatibility.

{
  "preferredStyleSchemes": ["posterEventTicket", "eventTicket"],
  "semantics": {
    "eventType": "PKEventTypeLivePerformance",
    "eventName": "South Bay Jazz Festival",
    "eventStartDate": "2024-06-15T10:00:00-06:00",
    "seats": [
      {
        "seatDescription": "Normal Seat",
        "seatIdentifier": "112-12-16",
        "seatNumber": "5",
        "seatRow": "3",
        "seatSection": "100",
        "venueEntranceGate": "3"
      }
    ]
  }
}

{
  "preferredStyleSchemes": ["posterEventTicket", "eventTicket"],
  "semantics": {
    "eventType": "PKEventTypeLivePerformance",
    "eventName": "South Bay Jazz Festival",
    "relevantDates": [
      {
        "startDate": "2024-06-15T10:00:00-06:00",
        "endDate": "2024-06-17T17:00:00-06:00"
      }
    ],
    "admissionLevel": "General Admission"
  }
}

New Event Guide Tile

Provides:
- Links to ordering apps, merchandise, policies, etc.
- Live weather forecast.
- Venue map with queue info.
- Playlist integration via artist IDs or event names.

{
  "bagPolicyURL": "https://www.southbayjazzfestival.com/bag-policy",
  "orderFoodURL": "https://www.orderfoodsamplewebsite.com",
  "parkingInformationURL": "https://www.southbayjazzfestival.com/parking",
  "preferredStyleSchemes": ["posterEventTicket", "eventTicket"],
  "semantics": {
    "venueParkingLotsOpenDate": "2024-06-15T08:00:00-06:00",
    "venueGatesOpenDate": "2024-06-15T09:00:00-06:00",
    "venueEntrance": "18",
    "venueLocation": {
      "latitude": 37.332279,
      "longitude": -122.010979
    },
    "performerNames": ["Jane Appleseed"],
    "artistIDs": ["1126808565"],
    "venueRegionName": "Cupertino, CA"
  }
}

Live Activities

Pass triggers Live Activity on lock screen and Apple Watch with key seating and entry info based on seats dictionary in pass JSON.

Best Practices & Tips

Import Apple Pay JS SDK early (in <head>).
Do not use CSS-only Apple Pay buttons.
Migrate to applePayCapabilities() for better button control.
For funds transfer, ensure merchant capabilities and disbursementRequest fields are correctly configured.
Use semantic tags extensively in passes to unlock new Wallet and event guide features.
Keep legacy fields to ensure pass validation on older OS versions.

Missing anything? Corrections? Contributions are welcome!

Written By

VictorPuga

16 notes contributed

Contributed Notes GitHub