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Apple is giving the Wallet app a much bigger role in iOS 27. The update adds new ways to create passes, improved digital passes, better hotel keys, wider order tracking and a new way to split bills using Apple Cash.
These changes are designed to make the iPhone more useful as a replacement for physical cards, tickets and other everyday items. Some features also extend to Apple Watch, while availability can depend on the country, card issuer, merchant or service provider.
Apple Wallet can now create digital passes from physical cards
One of the most useful changes in iOS 27 is the ability to create a Wallet pass from a physical card.
For example, if you have a store loyalty card or membership card with a barcode, you can use your iPhone camera to scan it. Apple says the new feature can also work with a screenshot of a digital card.
The pass can then be stored in Apple Wallet and shown later as a barcode or QR code. This means users may not need to carry as many plastic cards in their wallets.
Apple also allows users to create passes directly inside Wallet. Different templates are available for things such as memberships and events.
Wallet passes are getting a new look
Apple is also expanding the redesigned pass style that first appeared for boarding passes.
In iOS 27, more types of passes can use the new design. This includes loyalty cards, rewards cards, membership cards and gift cards.
The new style can use a larger background image, a logo and important information in clearly arranged areas. Passes can also show useful actions directly below the main pass.
For example, a membership pass could provide an action to check rewards, while an event pass could offer directions to the venue.
Apple calls this new design “Poster Generic.” It is intended to give businesses more ways to make their passes useful and easier to recognize.
Four new barcode types are supported
Apple is also making Wallet more flexible by adding support for four additional barcode formats.
The new supported types are:
- EAN-13
- Code 39
- Codabar
- Interleaved 2 of 5, also called ITF
This matters because not every physical membership or store card uses a QR code or the barcode types that Wallet previously supported.
With the expanded support, more physical cards can potentially be turned into digital passes. Apple still requires the card or pass to contain information that can be used to create a supported Wallet pass.
Apple Wallet gets better hotel keys
iOS 27 also expands what Apple Wallet can do with digital hotel keys.
With supported hotels and resorts, users can already use an iPhone or Apple Watch as a digital key to unlock a room and some hotel facilities. The new system adds more travel information to the Wallet experience.
Apple says guests can see details about their trip, receive updates about activities they have booked and access available hotel services from Wallet.
The feature depends on participating hotels and resorts, so it will not automatically work at every hotel. Apple has not provided a complete list of participating locations for the enhanced experience.
Bill splitting comes to Apple Cash
Another notable addition is a new bill-splitting feature for Apple Cash.
In the United States, users can scan a restaurant receipt with an iPhone and use Apple Intelligence to identify the items on the bill. They can then select the items they ordered.
The system can calculate each person’s share, including tax and tip. The person can then pay their share using Apple Cash.
Apple says this feature can be accessed through Apple Wallet and Messages, as well as through the new camera-based Siri experience.
| Wallet feature | What it does | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Create a Pass | Turns supported physical cards into digital Wallet passes | Supported iPhone and Apple Watch features |
| New pass design | Gives loyalty, membership, reward and gift cards a richer design | Depends on the pass issuer |
| New barcode support | Adds EAN-13, Code 39, Codabar and ITF | Depends on the card or pass |
| Enhanced hotel keys | Adds travel details and hotel services to digital keys | Participating hotels and resorts |
| Bill splitting | Uses Apple Intelligence to divide a receipt and calculate each person’s share | United States |
| Order tracking | Keeps eligible purchase and delivery details in Wallet | Availability varies by country and purchase |
Order tracking is expanding
Apple Wallet can already track some online orders. In iOS 27, Apple is expanding this feature to more countries.
The company says order tracking is coming to Australia and Canada in addition to the United States and United Kingdom. Eligible orders can show information such as the order status, estimated arrival and delivery details.
Wallet can also bring together related information from eligible purchases and emails, making it easier to check an order without searching through different messages.
Not every purchase will appear automatically. Order tracking depends on the merchant and the information available for that purchase.
Apple Pay is also getting a new checkout experience
The Wallet changes are not limited to passes and tickets. Apple is also changing the Apple Pay checkout experience.
The updated design gives users a clearer view of payment choices when they check out online or inside apps. Users can swipe between available cards, while eligible cards can show information such as rewards balances, debit account balances and available payment options.
Apple also says users will later be able to add funds to an eligible debit card directly through Apple Wallet or during online checkout.
The exact features available can depend on the card, bank and country.
Apple Watch benefits from the Wallet changes too
Some of the new Wallet features are not limited to the iPhone.
Apple says users can create and store passes from physical cards on Apple Watch as well. Once a pass has been created, it can be presented as a barcode or QR code.
Passes can also be pinned to the Apple Watch Smart Stack, giving users faster access when they need them.
This could be especially useful for loyalty cards, membership cards and event passes because users can show them without taking their iPhone out of their pocket.
iOS 27 makes Wallet more than a payment app
The biggest change in iOS 27 is not one single feature. It is the wider role Apple is giving to Wallet.
The app can now bring together payment cards, loyalty cards, tickets, hotel keys, order information and other passes. Apple’s new tools also make it easier for businesses to create richer passes that contain more information and useful actions.
That makes Wallet closer to a digital replacement for the items people normally keep in a physical wallet.
At the same time, many features depend on support from banks, merchants, airlines, hotels and other companies. So the full experience will not be identical for every iPhone user.
What users should know before using the new features
The new Wallet features are useful, but they are not available everywhere.
Some features are limited by country. The Apple Cash bill-splitting feature, for example, is specifically described by Apple as a U.S. feature. Hotel keys require participating properties, while order tracking works only with eligible purchases.
Users also need a compatible iPhone and the required version of iOS for features that depend on iOS 27. Apple Wallet itself can store many types of cards and passes, but support varies depending on the issuer and service.
iOS 27 gives Apple Wallet one of its biggest sets of changes in recent years. The app can now create passes from physical cards, support more barcode formats, offer richer pass designs and provide a more detailed hotel key experience.
Apple is also bringing bill splitting with Apple Cash to the U.S. and expanding order tracking to additional countries. Together, these updates show that Apple wants Wallet to handle much more than simple payments.
The most useful change may be the ability to turn physical loyalty and membership cards into digital passes. For many users, that could mean fewer cards in a real wallet and more everyday tasks handled directly from the iPhone or Apple Watch.