Apple Wallet vs Google Wallet: Which Is Better for Your Business?
Apple Passbook is now Apple Wallet. Here's how Apple and Google Wallet compare for businesses - and why you need to support both.
It's one of the first questions businesses ask when they start looking at digital passes: do we need to support both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, or can we just pick one?
The short answer is: you need both. But the longer answer is more useful, because the Apple vs Google question turns out to matter much less than most people expect. The real decision is which platform to use to manage both at once.
This post covers what each platform does, how they compare technically, the market share numbers that explain why excluding either is a mistake, and what to look for in a tool that handles both without running two separate programmes.
One important note first: if you've been searching for "Apple Passbook," you're looking for the right thing - Passbook was simply renamed Apple Wallet in 2015 with iOS 9. The underlying format and developer SDK are the same. Any provider that supports Apple Wallet passes also supports what used to be called Passbook.
"I am in the UK and have lots of rewards cards for shops all saved to the wallet, and I never carry around my actual wallet (purse) anymore because I have a few credit cards saved as well. So when I'm leaving the house, it's car keys, phone, chapstick and out the door. :)"
- r/GooglePixel (Google Vs Apple)
What Happened to Apple Passbook
Apple Passbook launched in 2012 with iOS 6 as the original home for digital passes - boarding passes, loyalty cards, coupons, and event tickets saved directly to a phone without needing a separate app.
In September 2015, with iOS 9, Apple renamed Passbook to Apple Wallet and expanded its scope to include Apple Pay. The underlying pass format - .pkpass - stayed exactly the same. The developer documentation and SDK that were used to build Passbook passes are the same ones used to build Apple Wallet passes today.
This matters for one practical reason: if you see a product described as supporting "Passbook," it supports Apple Wallet. The terms are interchangeable. The older name still shows up in search because many businesses started researching this years ago and the terminology stuck - but there's no functional difference.
What Apple Wallet Does for Businesses
Apple Wallet supports several pass types relevant to businesses: loyalty cards, coupons, store cards, generic passes, and event tickets. Each type has slightly different default presentation, but all share the same core capabilities.
The mechanics that matter for business use:
- Dynamic updates - a pass saved to a customer's wallet can be updated remotely. A loyalty stamp count, a remaining credit balance, or a discount code can be pushed to the existing pass without the customer needing to take any action.
- Push notifications - pass holders can receive lock-screen notifications directly. No app, no opt-in beyond the initial wallet save. This is the channel that most brands underestimate: it bypasses the inbox entirely and sits on the lock screen alongside bank card notifications.
- Location alerts - passes can be configured to surface a notification when a customer is near a specific address. A coffee shop loyalty card that pops up as a customer walks past is a straightforward example.
- NFC support - Apple Wallet passes can be used at NFC-enabled point-of-sale terminals. Useful for loyalty redemption at physical locations.
- Distribution - passes are distributed via URL, which can be embedded in email, SMS, QR codes, or post-purchase confirmation pages. No app store required.
The .pkpass format is a file-based system. Passes are generated and signed on a server, then distributed as files that open directly in Apple Wallet. Apple's developer documentation covers the technical specifications in full.
What Google Wallet Does for Businesses
Google Wallet covers the same core use cases: loyalty cards, discount offers, event tickets, and generic passes for businesses. The customer experience is functionally identical to Apple Wallet from a user's perspective - a digital card saved to a phone, updatable, with push notification capability.
The technical implementation is different. Google Wallet uses a cloud-based API model rather than a file-based approach. Google's Wallet API creates pass objects that are stored and updated server-side, with the user's device syncing dynamically. In practice, this means passes are slightly easier to update at scale - you're modifying a server record rather than re-issuing a file.
Google Wallet has one advantage in the Android ecosystem: tighter integration with Google services, including the ability for passes to surface in Google Search results for logged-in users. A loyalty card for a restaurant that a customer has already visited can appear as a search suggestion when they search for that restaurant again. This is a small but genuine differentiator for businesses with strong local search presence.
For most business use cases - loyalty, rewards, coupons, event access - Google Wallet and Apple Wallet are functionally equivalent from both the business and customer perspective.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Apple Wallet | Google Wallet |
|---|---|---|
| Pass types | Loyalty, coupon, event ticket, boarding pass, generic | Loyalty, offer, event ticket, generic, gift card |
| Dynamic updates | Yes | Yes |
| Push notifications | Yes | Yes |
| Location-based alerts | Yes | Yes |
| NFC support | Yes | Yes |
| Lock screen display | Yes | Yes |
| Technical format | File-based (.pkpass) | Cloud API |
| Distribution method | URL, QR code, email, SMS | URL, QR code, email, SMS |
| App required (customer) | No | No |
| Google Search integration | No | Yes |
The practical difference for most businesses running loyalty programmes or post-purchase reward flows is minimal. Both platforms deliver the same customer experience - a digital card on the lock screen, updatable in real time, with a push notification channel. The technical difference is in how they're built and managed, not in what they do.
Market Share: Why You Need Both
The reason the "Apple or Google?" question has a straightforward answer is market share.
According to Statcounter, as of early 2026, iOS accounts for roughly 55% of smartphone usage in the UK and US, with Android at roughly 45%. The precise split varies by country and demographic - iOS skews slightly higher in the US and in younger, urban demographics; Android skews higher in broader UK demographics and in many international markets.
Excluding either platform means excluding roughly half your potential pass holders. For a loyalty programme or reward flow, that's not a product decision - it's an arbitrary limitation based on a technical preference.
The practical implication is that any wallet pass implementation for a business should support both formats from day one. Running Apple Wallet only because your customer base skews iPhone is the kind of reasoning that looks fine until the Android customer in front of you at checkout can't use their pass.
Which Platform to Use
Once you've decided to support both (which, again, you should), the real question is which tool to build and manage those passes through. The Apple vs Google question matters much less than the platform question.
Three options are worth knowing about:
82DASH (apps.shopify.com/82dash) takes a different approach to wallet passes. Rather than focusing solely on loyalty points, it's designed around content collection and reward delivery - customers submit photos, videos, or reviews through a rights-cleared flow, and receive a wallet pass reward instantly. Both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet are supported natively. The wallet passes are also the ongoing communication channel: wallet pass marketing for Shopify and retail wallet pass marketing cover how this works in practice.
JeriCommerce (apps.shopify.com/jericommerce-wallet-passes) is a Shopify-native loyalty and wallet pass tool focused on points-based programmes. Strong for traditional loyalty stamp mechanics, supports both Apple and Google natively, good Shopify integration.
PassKit (passkit.com) and WalletKit (walletkit.com) are developer-oriented platforms for custom pass implementations. More flexible, more technical - better suited to brands with development resource who need to build wallet passes into an existing infrastructure rather than using an off-the-shelf tool.
All four support both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. The choice between them depends on what you need the passes to do - a pure loyalty programme, a reward mechanism tied to content collection, or a custom-built solution.
For a full comparison of wallet pass platforms and what each is optimised for, the best wallet pass platforms guide covers the options in detail.
The Practical Answer
Apple Wallet and Google Wallet are near-identical in what they deliver for business use cases. The technical differences - file-based vs API-based, slightly different UI presentation - are handled by whatever platform you use to manage them, and don't affect the customer experience.
The only decision that matters is to support both. A wallet pass strategy that only works for iPhone users is structurally incomplete, regardless of how good the programme itself is.
Choose a platform that handles both formats from a single workflow. The complete guide to Apple and Google Wallet passes for restaurants goes deeper on implementation for hospitality businesses. For the broader mechanics of how wallet passes work as a retention channel, how to use Apple and Google Wallet passes to keep customers coming back covers the channel in full.
The pass format matters far less than the programme design behind it. Build something worth saving to a wallet, support both platforms, and use the push notification channel that comes with it.
Isabelle Simon - Communications Lead - 82DASH
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Apple Passbook the same as Apple Wallet?
Yes. Apple Passbook was renamed Apple Wallet in September 2015 with the launch of iOS 9. The .pkpass file format and the underlying developer SDK are identical. Any provider that supports Apple Wallet passes fully supports what was previously called Passbook. If someone says they "support Passbook," they support Apple Wallet.
Do I actually need to support both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet?
Yes. iOS accounts for roughly 55% of smartphone users in the UK and US, and Android accounts for roughly 45%. Supporting only one platform means approximately half your customers cannot use your wallet pass programme. For any loyalty, reward, or coupon implementation, there's no practical argument for excluding either.
What can businesses do with Apple or Google Wallet passes?
Both platforms support loyalty cards, discount coupons, event tickets, and generic passes. Both allow dynamic updates (changing the pass content after it's been saved), push notifications to pass holders, location-based alerts near physical locations, and NFC support for in-store use. Passes are distributed via URL - no app required for the customer.
What is the technical difference between Apple Wallet and Google Wallet?
Apple Wallet uses a file-based format (.pkpass) - passes are generated as signed files and distributed via URL. Google Wallet uses a cloud API model - pass data is stored server-side and synced to devices. In practice, neither difference affects the customer experience. Platforms that support both handle the technical distinction in the background.
Which wallet pass platform is best for a Shopify store?
82DASH and JeriCommerce are both Shopify-native and support both Apple and Google Wallet natively. 82DASH is optimised for brands collecting customer content (photos, videos, reviews) and delivering wallet pass rewards tied to that content. JeriCommerce is better suited to traditional points-based loyalty. Both are solid starting points depending on your programme design.
