Apple Passbook vs Google Wallet: The 2026 Comparison
Apple Passbook was renamed Apple Wallet in 2015. If you're searching for a comparison between the two platforms, here's how Apple Wallet and Google Wallet stack up for businesses issuing digital loyalty cards, reward passes, and customer content rewards.
If you searched for "Apple Passbook," you have found the right post - but the product has a different name now.
Apple Passbook was renamed Apple Wallet in September 2015 when Apple released iOS 9. The app did not change fundamentally; it gained features over the years and eventually became the home for Apple Pay, digital IDs, and a full range of pass types. The name Passbook disappeared from the interface, but plenty of people still use it. If you saw it on an older iPhone, heard about it from someone, or simply never noticed the rename, Passbook and Apple Wallet are the same thing.
This post compares Apple Wallet (formerly Passbook) and Google Wallet side-by-side: what each does, where they differ, and which one businesses should use when issuing digital passes to customers.
"The core idea is to let customers add a digital loyalty card directly to their Apple or Google Wallet and that single pass would automatically update with points, rewards, review prompts, referral bonuses and any campaigns the business wants to run. The goal is to remove friction, since many customers never install loyalty apps and most small businesses don't have the time or budget to build or manage one."
What Happened to Apple Passbook
Apple launched Passbook in iOS 6 in September 2012. It was designed to hold boarding passes, event tickets, store cards, and coupons in one place - the first mainstream attempt at a digital wallet on a smartphone. The name described what it was: a book of passes.
In September 2015, with iOS 9, Apple renamed Passbook to Wallet and expanded its scope significantly. The app became the home for Apple Pay, which launched in October 2014, and the two products were consolidated under one brand. Apple Wallet could now hold payment cards alongside passes, and later added transit cards, digital keys, and digital ID support in supported US states.
The underlying pass format - the .pkpass file that businesses use to issue digital cards to customers - remained consistent throughout. A pass issued in 2013 using the Passbook API would still work in Apple Wallet today. The rename was primarily cosmetic and brand-strategic, not a technical overhaul.
If you are looking for documentation, the Apple developer framework refers to this system as Wallet Kit (previously PassKit). The passes themselves are still called wallet passes.
What Apple Wallet Does in 2026
Apple Wallet on iPhone holds several categories of digital content:
Payment cards - credit cards, debit cards, and prepaid cards added via Apple Pay. These work for contactless payment in shops, in apps, and on the web.
Passes - the category that covers loyalty cards, reward passes, event tickets, boarding passes, transit cards, student IDs, and coupons. Passes are issued by businesses and organisations using Apple's Wallet framework. They have a front face showing key information (a barcode, a credit balance, a name, a QR code) and a back with additional detail.
Keys - digital car keys and hotel room keys on supported hardware.
Digital IDs - state-issued driver's licences and ID cards, available in supported US states.
For businesses, the passes category is the relevant one. A loyalty card, a reward voucher, or a membership pass all live here. The pass sits on the customer's home screen and lock screen, sends push notifications when the issuer updates it, and displays a barcode or QR code for scanning at the till.
What Google Wallet Does in 2026
Google Wallet is Android's equivalent. Google's digital wallet history is more complicated than Apple's - the product has been through several rebrands and mergers (Google Pay, Google Wallet, Android Pay have all existed at different points). The current product, relaunched as Google Wallet in 2022, is the consolidated home for payments and passes on Android.
Google Wallet holds payment cards, loyalty and rewards passes, event tickets, transit cards, digital IDs (in supported states), and digital car keys. The pass format for businesses is the Google Wallet API, which allows businesses to issue digital cards directly to Android users.
Functionally, Google Wallet and Apple Wallet are close equivalents for most business use cases. Both hold loyalty cards. Both support push notifications from the issuer. Both display a barcode or QR code. Both allow the issuer to update the pass without requiring any action from the holder.
Apple Wallet vs Google Wallet: Side by Side
| Feature | Apple Wallet | Google Wallet |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | iOS only | Android only |
| Loyalty and reward passes | Yes | Yes |
| Push notifications to pass holders | Yes | Yes |
| Dynamic pass updates | Yes | Yes |
| Contactless payment | Yes (Apple Pay) | Yes (Google Pay) |
| Digital IDs | Yes (select US states) | Yes (select US states) |
| NFC support | Yes | Yes |
| Pass issued via | .pkpass / Wallet Kit | Google Wallet API |
| Pre-installed | Yes, all iPhones | Yes, most Android devices |
The practical difference for businesses is platform, not features. Apple Wallet reaches iPhone users. Google Wallet reaches Android users. In the UK and US, the smartphone market is roughly split 50/50 between iOS and Android, with some variation by age and geography. Statista data on mobile OS market share shows Android ahead globally but iOS dominant in the US and UK upper-income demographics. Chargeflow data on mobile wallet adoption puts Apple Pay at approximately 57% US market share, with Google Wallet leading Android usage globally.
For Businesses: Which One Should You Use
Both. Not one or the other.
Any business issuing digital passes to customers - a loyalty card, a reward voucher, an event ticket, a membership pass - needs to support both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet to reach the full customer base. A loyalty programme that only works on iPhone loses every Android customer before they start. A reward pass that only issues to Android users alienates iPhone holders.
The mechanism for issuing both is not as complex as it might seem. Third-party pass platforms handle the technical generation for both formats from a single template. PassKit, Passes.com, and Walletly all generate both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet pass formats from one setup. The business creates one pass design; the platform detects the customer's device and delivers the correct format automatically.
For Shopify brands, 82DASH handles this within the customer content and reward flow - a customer submitting a photo or video receives a reward pass delivered to whichever wallet their phone uses, without any extra steps on either side.
What Businesses Actually Use Wallet Passes For
The loyalty card use case is the most common for physical businesses. A digital loyalty card in Apple or Google Wallet replaces a paper stamp card or a separate loyalty app. The customer taps a link, installs the card in seconds, and earns stamps or points that update automatically. No app download, no account creation, no login.
For ecommerce and Shopify brands, the primary use case is reward delivery. A customer submits content (a photo, a video, a review) and receives a discount or credit delivered as a wallet pass rather than a coupon code emailed to their inbox. The pass lands on the home screen immediately after submission, resurfaces at the point of the next purchase, and can receive a push notification reminder before it expires.
How to use Apple and Google Wallet passes to keep customers coming back covers the customer retention mechanics in more detail. How to turn a form into an Apple or Google Wallet pass covers the submission-to-pass flow end-to-end.
For hospitality businesses, the wallet pass replaces the physical membership card, the paper voucher, and the email loyalty update. A restaurant issuing a digital loyalty card to every customer who signs up via QR code at the table has a push notification channel to that customer's lock screen. Brandmovers research on mobile wallet loyalty puts wallet pass push notification open rates at approximately 99%, compared to around 20% for email - which changes the economics of every re-engagement message a business sends to its customer base. The mechanics are covered in Google and Apple Wallet passes for restaurants: complete guide.
How to Issue Wallet Passes to Customers
The process has three components: a pass template, a distribution mechanism, and an update capability.
The pass template defines what the card looks like and what information it holds - the customer's name, their loyalty balance, a barcode, a reward value. Third-party platforms provide visual editors for this that require no development work.
The distribution mechanism is a link. When a customer earns a pass (by signing up, submitting content, or reaching a loyalty threshold), a link is generated and sent to them via email, SMS, or shown in a form confirmation. Tapping the link on an iPhone opens the Apple Wallet "Add to Wallet" prompt. On Android, the Google Wallet equivalent runs. The installation takes under ten seconds.
The update capability allows the issuer to change the pass contents after installation - updating a loyalty balance, changing a reward value, or adding a push notification - without the customer needing to reinstall anything.
Best wallet pass platforms for 2026 covers the third-party tools that handle all three components, with comparisons by use case and price.
Isabelle Simon - Communications Lead - 82DASH
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Apple Passbook the same as Apple Wallet?
Yes. Apple renamed Passbook to Wallet in September 2015 when iOS 9 was released. The app serves the same core purpose - holding digital passes, loyalty cards, tickets, and boarding passes - but was expanded to include Apple Pay, digital keys, and digital IDs. The underlying pass format (.pkpass) has remained consistent, so passes issued under the old Passbook name still work in the current Apple Wallet app.
Can I use Apple Wallet on Android?
No. Apple Wallet is an iOS-only app. It is pre-installed on all iPhones and iPads but is not available on Android devices. The Android equivalent is Google Wallet, which holds the same categories of content (loyalty cards, reward passes, payment cards, event tickets) and supports the same push notification and dynamic update capabilities.
Which is better for businesses: Apple Wallet or Google Wallet?
For most businesses, the answer is both. Apple Wallet reaches iPhone users (roughly 50-55% of UK and US smartphone users); Google Wallet reaches Android users. A loyalty or reward programme that only supports one platform loses the other half of its customers at the door. Third-party pass platforms generate both formats from one template, so the technical overhead of supporting both is low.
How does a business issue an Apple Wallet or Google Wallet pass?
A business uses either Apple's Wallet Kit framework (for Apple passes) or the Google Wallet API (for Google passes) directly, or more commonly uses a third-party platform that handles both formats from a single template. When a customer is entitled to receive a pass - after signing up, after submitting content, after reaching a loyalty milestone - they are sent a link. Tapping the link on their device installs the pass in the appropriate wallet app in seconds.
Do customers need to download an app to use a wallet pass?
No. Apple Wallet and Google Wallet are pre-installed on essentially all modern smartphones. The customer taps a link and sees a native prompt to add the pass to their existing wallet app. There is no separate download, no account creation, and no login required. This is one of the key advantages of wallet passes over loyalty apps - the customer already has the infrastructure installed.
