Pass Upgrades: More Than Just Boarding Passes
Following the airline boarding pass improvements in iOS 26, iOS 27 extends similar enhancements to a wider range of passes. Memberships, gift cards, loyalty cards, and rewards cards can now utilize a bold “Poster Generic” card style. This new format supports full background images, a primary logo, header and footer fields, primary fields, and an optional barcode.
Each pass can also include up to two actionable buttons at the bottom, such as getting directions to a venue or checking your rewards point balance. For added security, users can now check the pass issuer certificate to verify a digital pass’s legitimacy. Developers will also benefit from four new barcode types—EAN–13, Code 39, Codabar, and ITF—and a new Pass Designer Mac app that simplifies creation with a WYSIWYG editor.
Create a Pass: Digitize Physical Cards
One of the most practical additions is the “Create a Pass” feature. This allows users to add tickets, memberships, and other cards to the Wallet app using Visual Intelligence. If an event ticket lacks a digital Wallet version, you can simply scan the physical pass.
Using the camera, you can add a pass by scanning a barcode or QR code, or enter the details manually. Pass templates include Standard, Membership, and Event, each with relevant fields like name, location, and admission type. You can customize the look with 12 background colors and textures or choose from seven category-specific backgrounds for theater, music, sports, and movies. Fields are also adjustable, allowing you to add labels, dates, membership numbers, coupon codes, VINs, and more, making it easy to store most physical cards digitally.
Hotel Keys with Trip Details
For travelers, iOS 27 enhances the digital hotel key experience. When you add a key from a participating hotel, you can now view more details about your trip directly in the Wallet app. Hotels can also provide updates on booked activities and allow access to different services, streamlining the guest experience.
AI-Powered Bill Splitting
Settling group expenses becomes much simpler with a new AI-powered bill-splitting feature. Using the new Siri Mode in the Camera app, or a feature within the Messages and Wallet apps, you can take a photo of a bill. Apple Intelligence scans the receipt and creates a digital copy of the items.
From there, each person can select what they consumed, and the app will automatically calculate their share, including tax and tip. Payments can then be made directly through Apple Cash, making group dinners and outings hassle-free.
Financial Insights and Order Tracking
iOS 27 introduces an “Insights” feature to help users monitor their finances. By adding financial accounts to the Wallet app, you can track spending, recurring transactions, and account balances. This expands on the Connected Accounts feature from earlier iOS versions and works with financial institutions that support Connected Cards, including several UK banks.
Order tracking is also expanding geographically. Following its introduction in the US and UK with iOS 26, this feature is now rolling out to Australia and Canada in iOS 27, allowing more users to track their purchases directly from the Wallet app.
Tap to Share for Quick Checkout
A new “Tap to Share” feature in iOS 27 enables customers to connect to a participating merchant’s iPhone for a faster digital checkout experience. This simplifies the payment process, making transactions quicker and more seamless.
Device Requirements
While many of the new Wallet features are available on a wide range of iPhones, the Create a Pass functionality relies on Visual Intelligence, which is an Apple Intelligence feature. This requires an iPhone 15 Pro or newer.
