WalletWallet enables browser-based prototyping of Apple Wallet passes, generating client-side .pkpass files from barcodes with no signup and no server required.
Tech News Team
Continue your reading
WalletWallet: Browser-Based PassKit Tool for Prototyping Apple Wallet Passes
WalletWallet popped up on Hacker News as a Show HN demo, and it matters because it lets you bake Apple Wallet passes from almost anything. The browser-based tool has reportedly generated over 8,000 passes and was featured with 358 points and 101 comments. In practice, WalletWallet lets you turn a physical barcode into a digital pass that sits in Apple Wallet.
What makes WalletWallet stand out is its simplicity and privacy. There’s no sign-up, private by design, and no installation needed. The workflow is straightforward: enter your membership or loyalty card barcode data, set up how it looks and what it’s called, then download the .pkpass file and open it to add the pass to Apple Wallet. The project stresses that everything runs locally in the browser and the output is a standard .pkpass file you load into Wallet. It supports several input methods: scan or upload a QR code, scan with a camera, upload an image, or type the barcode data by hand. The interface also exposes fields for Pass Title, an optional Label and Value, and a Card Color to tailor the look.
In technical terms, you’re dealing with the PassKit pass format used by Apple Wallet. A .pkpass is a packaged PassKit file that WalletWallet generates entirely on the client side, without sending your data to a server. The tool lets you specify how the pass should appear and what metadata it should carry, producing a file that works with Apple Wallet. For developers curious about the underlying standards, see Apple’s PassKit documentation which covers how passes are structured and rendered: PassKit Programming Guide.
From a developer’s perspective, the takeaway is this: you have a lightweight, client-side option to prototype and test Apple Wallet passes without spinning up servers or signing pipelines for early ideas. This lowers the bar for creating loyalty or membership passes and can speed up experiments, demos, or personal projects. But it also highlights a contrast with traditional workflows where pass distribution usually needs server-side signing and authentication to produce trusted, revocable passes. If you’re hands-on, keep the official context in view: Apple Wallet is the consumer-facing interface, and PassKit is the formal mechanism that governs passes and their lifecycle. If you want to look beyond WalletWallet, see the Apple Wallet product page at Apple Wallet and the PassKit documentation mentioned above.
The broader takeaway is that browser-based tooling for PassKit passes exists as a viable option. It sits alongside traditional routes that rely on certificates and server-side generation, offering a quick, private way to try passes for loyalty cards, event check-ins, or membership cards. While WalletWallet is a handy prototype, it invites a broader conversation about tooling in the Wallet environment and the trade-offs between client-side convenience and the guarantees provided by server-side signing. Industry coverage and commentary from Ars Technica and TechCrunch provide context on how wallet and pass technologies fit into the larger device picture, emphasizing that the Wallet experience continues to evolve past the original Passbook idea: Ars Technica and TechCrunch offer ongoing perspectives on wallet-related developments.
Going forward, WalletWallet suggests developers will want lighter, privacy-preserving tools for generating passes and testing ideas offline. It’s a reminder that practical, in-browser utilities can lower the barrier to entry for trying Apple Wallet passes and could spark a wave of similar lightweight projects. For teams building loyalty programs or event access, it's worth checking how client-side approaches might complement existing server-based pipelines, especially for rapid prototyping, internal testing, or demonstrations. If you’re curious to see the tool in action, you can try WalletWallet directly at WalletWallet, and check the PassKit docs for deeper understanding.