Guide

What is Passbook? Apple Wallet explained

Passbook was Apple’s app for keeping boarding passes, tickets, store cards and coupons on the iPhone. It didn’t disappear: it became Apple Wallet. This guide explains what Passbook was, what changed, how the passes it introduced still work today, and what that means if you want to put your own cards on your customers’ phones.

Last updated October 9, 2026. Facts about Apple Wallet and Google Wallet were checked against Apple’s and Google’s own documentation, linked in the sources.

The short answer

Passbook is the old name for Apple Wallet. Apple introduced Passbook with iOS 6 in 2012 as a single place on the iPhone for boarding passes, event tickets, store cards and coupons. In iOS 9, after Apple Pay brought payment cards to the same app, Apple renamed it Wallet. Apple’s own developer guide still describes Wallet as the app formerly known as Passbook.

The passes didn’t change with the name. The pass format Passbook introduced is the same one Apple Wallet uses today, which is why people still search for “Passbook” when they mean an Apple Wallet pass.

From Passbook to Apple Wallet

2012, iOS 6: Passbook. A new app for passes: boarding passes, movie and event tickets, store and loyalty cards, and coupons, each with a barcode to scan.
2014, Apple Pay. Credit and debit cards arrive on the iPhone for contactless payments.
2015, iOS 9: Wallet. Passbook is renamed Wallet, bringing passes and payment cards together in one app.
Since then. Wallet has grown to hold more kinds of cards and keys, and to show passes on Apple Watch, but loyalty cards, tickets and coupons are still passes in the same format.

What Apple Wallet holds today

Apple Wallet now holds two broad kinds of thing:

Payment and access: credit and debit cards for Apple Pay, transit cards, and, depending on the country and provider, keys and identity cards.
Passes: the Passbook-style cards any business can issue, such as loyalty cards, membership cards, event tickets, boarding passes, coupons and gift cards.

Payment cards need a bank or card issuer, and IDs need a government. Passes don’t: any business can create them, which is what makes Apple Wallet useful for loyalty, memberships and tickets.

How Passbook-style passes work

A pass is a small, signed file (a .pkpass) that carries a design, a few labeled fields, and usually a barcode or QR code. Three things make it more useful than a PDF or a screenshot:

It’s signed. Every pass is signed with a certificate from Apple, so the iPhone can check where it came from.
It can update. The issuer can change a pass after it’s been added, such as a new gate, a points balance or an expiry date, and the copy on the phone updates.
It can appear at the right moment. A pass can carry a date and locations, so it can be suggested on the lock screen when it’s about to be needed.

The five pass styles

Apple defines five pass styles. Each one controls the layout and how the pass behaves:

Style	Used for	Examples
Boarding pass	Travel	Flights, trains, buses
Event ticket	Entry to an event	Concerts, sports, cinema, conferences
Store card	Loyalty and stored value	Loyalty, points, discount and gift cards
Coupon	Offers	Discounts and special offers
Generic	Anything else	Membership cards, gym cards, claim tickets

Passes on the lock screen

Because passes can carry times and places, Wallet can bring the right one forward, for example an event ticket on the day of the event. Issuers can also send updates that appear as notifications, such as a reward being earned.

Using a pass on iPhone and Apple Watch

Add it from an “Add to Apple Wallet” button in an email, text, website or app, or by scanning a QR code that links to it.
Show it by opening Wallet and tapping the pass, then presenting its barcode or QR code to be scanned.
On Apple Watch, passes on the iPhone appear on the paired watch too.
Remove it from the pass’s details screen when you no longer need it.

Step-by-step instructions for both phones are in our guide on adding a pass to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.

What about Android?

Android phones use Google Wallet, which holds the same kinds of passes: loyalty cards, tickets, boarding passes, gift cards and more. A Google Wallet pass is built differently behind the scenes, but to the customer it works the same way. A business that wants to reach every customer issues each card to both wallets.

What it means for a business

Passbook’s idea, a card that lives on the phone instead of in a purse, is now the easiest way for a small business to offer a loyalty card, membership card, ticket or coupon without building an app. Customers keep the card with them, you can update it after it’s saved, and you can reach them on the lock screen.

Creating passes yourself means joining the Apple Developer Program, signing each pass with a certificate, and running a server for updates, plus a separate setup for Google Wallet. Our guide on creating an Apple Wallet pass without coding walks through what that involves.

Frequently asked questions

Is Passbook the same as Apple Wallet?+

Yes. Passbook was the original name of the app. Apple’s developer guide describes Wallet as the app formerly known as Passbook, and the passes it holds work the same way.

When did Passbook become Apple Wallet?+

Passbook arrived with iOS 6 in 2012 and was renamed Wallet in iOS 9 in 2015, after Apple Pay added payment cards to the same app.

Do old Passbook passes still work?+

The pass format Passbook introduced is the one Apple Wallet still uses, so a pass built for Passbook is the same kind of file as a pass built today. Whether a specific old pass still works depends on its issuer, for example whether it has expired or its barcode is still accepted.

Is there a Passbook app for Android?+

Not from Apple. On Android, the equivalent is Google Wallet, which holds loyalty cards, tickets, boarding passes, gift cards and other passes. A business can issue the same card to both wallets.

How do I add a pass to Apple Wallet?+

Tap an “Add to Apple Wallet” button in an email, text, website or app, or scan a QR code that links to the pass, then tap Add. The pass appears in the Wallet app and on a paired Apple Watch.

Can a business create Passbook passes without coding?+

Yes. Building passes yourself means signing each pass with an Apple certificate and running a server for updates, but a no-code pass builder handles that for you: you design the pass and share it with a link or QR code.

Sources

Apple’s newer developer pages load dynamically, so where a number comes from Apple it is taken from its Wallet Developer Guide and support pages. If Apple’s or Google’s current documentation differs, follow theirs.