What’s new in Wallet

Summary

• New Poster Generic style enhances pass design with bold, colorful artwork.

• Four new barcode types expand flexibility; ensure backward compatibility.

• Featured actions API enables custom actions across all pass stylaes.

• Pass Designer and Pass Builder streamline pass creation and distribution.

Presenters

• Shaun Merchant, Wallet Engineer

New Features in iOS 27 Wallet

• Poster Generic Style: Ideal for membership cards and loyalty programs. Includes background image, primary logo, and header fields. Requires iOS 27+.

• New Barcode Types: Supports EM13, Code 39, Codabar, and ITF. Prioritize multiple formats for compatibility with older iOS versions.

// pass.json
{
  // Adopting Poster Generic
  "posterGeneric": {
    "headerFields": [
      {
        "key": "memberID",
        "label": "Guest No.",
        "value": "102035"
      }
    ],
    "footerFields": [
      {
        "key": "membershipType",
        "value": "Family Pass"
      }
    ]
  },
  // Supporting Generic on iOS 26 and earlier
  "generic": {
    "headerFields": [
      {
        "key": "memberID",
        "label": "Guest No.",
        "value": "102035"
      }
    ],
    "footerFields": [
      {
        "key": "membershipType",
        "value": "Family Pass"
      }
    ]
  },
  // Adopting new barcode types and supporting iOS 26 and earlier.
  "barcodes": [
    {
      "format": "PKBarcodeFormatCodabar",
      "message": "123456789",
      "messageEncoding": "iso-8859-1"
    },
    {
      "format": "PKBarcodeFormatQR",
      "message": "123456789",
      "messageEncoding": "iso-8859-1"
    }
  ],
  // Featured actions
  "featuredActions": [
    {
      "identifier": "my-offer-id",
      "type": "membershipBenefits",
      "url": "www.example.com/offers"
    }
  ]
}

Developer Tools

• Pass Designer

  • This WYSIWYG editor allows developers to create pass templates with a live preview, making design intuitive and straightforward.

  • Users can configure pass identity, style, images, barcodes, fields, and semantics directly within the tool.

• Pass Builder

  • Facilitates the personalization and distribution of passes at scale, supporting automated workflows.

  • Can be integrated with other programming languages through Java bindings via the Swift Java project.

import PassBuilder
  
func createPass(for doggo: MemeberModel) async throws -> URL {
  var passPackage = PassPackage(url: "template.pkpasstemplate")
  
  passPackage.pass.fields.setValue(doggo.name, forKey: "DOG_NAME")
  passPackage.pass.fields.setValue(doggo.favoriteToy, forKey: "LOVES")
  passPackage.pass.fields.setValue(doggo.id, forKey: "MEMBER_ID")
  
  passPackage.background = PassImage(url: doggo.photoURL)
  
  passPackage.pass.barcodes = [
    Pass.Barcode(message: doggo.id, format: .pdf417)
  ]

  passPackage.featuredActions = [
    Pass.Action(id: "action-1", type: "viewMembership", url: doggo.membershipURL) 
  ]

  let passCertificate = try PassCertificate(url: "pass.p12", password: "s3cr3t")
  let wwdrCertificate = try PassCertificate(url: "wwdr.cer")

  let signer = PassSigner(
    passCertificate: passCertificate,
    wwdrCertifiate: wwdrCertificate
  )

  let destinationURL = URL(string: "/www/passes/" + doggo.id)
  try signer.signPass(passPackage, writingTo: destinationURL)

  return destinationURL
}

Implementation Tips

• Include both new and existing style keys in your pass JSON to ensure older iOS versions can still render the pass.

• Prepare for manual entry scenarios by making credential IDs easily accessible and training staff accordingly.

Featured Actions

• Provide semantic URLs for additional user actions beneath the pass.

• Define actions in pass JSON with a unique ID, action type, and URL.

• Limit to two meaningful actions per pass.

Recommendations

• Experiment with Poster Generic style using Pass Designer.

• Plan for barcode format fallbacks.

• Identify and implement featured actions that are most relevant to users.