WalletWallet
Productivity
digital wallet passes
SHOW HN2025
How HN took it
14 positive, 33 neutral or asking, 2 mixed, 16 critical, out of 65 comments about the project. Thread score -0.01.
Idea: 7 for, 6 againstExecution: 2 for, 5 againstPrivacy: 0 for, 3 againstDocs: 0 for, 2 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Useful for loyalty and gym cards
From 3 comments
A personal use case: my local gym that issues only physical barcode cards -- I used a different app (similar in this style) that allowed me keep it on my apple watch / iPhone…
ms7m on HNThanks for making this, I just used it for gym stuff
cdong on HNI have been looking for something like this for so long! All I wanna do is stop carrying this rec center card around. Perfect.
listless on HN
Works with Google Wallet too
From 2 comments
This is amazing, thank you! Works with Google Wallet too!
viiralvx on HNI did! It worked just fine for my gym pass
viiralvx on HN
Objections
Privacy: pass data is sent to the server for signing, and the site's browser-only claim was disputed
From 3 comments
Love the idea, thanks for sharing! One obvious concern here is data privacy, since the pass details are sent to the server. Any chance it would be possible to run everything in…
alessandropier on HNThe site is pretty clear: "Free and works in browser", "Processed locally", "Private". But apparently the site (sorry for the harsh word, but I can't interpret it any other way)…
matrss on HN"is incorrect" is slightly less harsh, but in this case, I'd call it a lie. It's a rather subtle but important implementation detail. I don't think the author (who is here in…
fragmede on HN
Codabar and other barcode types not supported
From 2 comments
Could you add Codabar? edit: oh, I guess you can't, because Apple Wallet doesn't support it.
dmd on HNThis is great. And it send me down the path of trying to get my library card to work. Turns out it uses a format called Codebar which is from 1972 and not supported by Apple…
kimos on HN
Relies on AI-generated code and reads as low effort
From 1 comment
I'm so confused, is HN now littered with nothing but Supported Bots and Crappy AI Generating supposedly a small developer Bots? Nothing about this app is unique or cool, just one…
mythoughtsexact on HN
Requests
Bring your own key, open source version
From 2 comments
that's a good idea. i'll release a BYOK version but don't plan to host it myself. will include a quick run script to run it locally.
alentodorov on HNopen-source BYOK coming right up. with your permission i'll ping you on you profile
alentodorov on HN
Support more barcode types such as Codabar, Code39, EAN-8
From 3 comments
Could you add Codabar? edit: oh, I guess you can't, because Apple Wallet doesn't support it.
dmd on HNCode39 would be really useful ;-)
dickiedyce on HNThat's very useful, thanks! One small-ish feature request: could you please add support for EAN-8?
StrLght on HN
Add location-based lock screen display
From 1 comment
It'd be awesome if you could add a location to the pass. Apple allows a pass to automatically pop up on the screen based on the device location[1]. If you make it so the user…
Jeremy1026 on HN
Questions
Is the signing done in the browser or on the server?
From 2 comments
How are you signing the pass in my browser?
noja on HNLove the idea, thanks for sharing! One obvious concern here is data privacy, since the pass details are sent to the server. Any chance it would be possible to run everything in…
alessandropier on HN
Does it violate Apple terms of service?
From 2 comments
This is great! Are you sure you are not violating any ToS for that? I’d hate to see it go
081guy on HNIt probably is violating the ToS. But would like to know more.
saxenaabhi on HN
Alternatives named
Pass4Wallet (free, many barcode types)
From 2 comments
Try Pass4Wallet from the app store. It's free and supports a huge array of barcode types, including codabar. It's been my go-to custom card app for a number of years.
Daneel_ on HNCommented in another reply, this is the answer. Works great and supports a dozen barcode types.
kimos on HN
MakePass (subscription)
From 1 comment
MakePass is an app that creates independent/proper Wallet *.pkpass files. You can completely customise the pass appearance according to Apple’s specs. (Not sure whether the…
mbirth on HN
Wallet Creator app
From 1 comment
I solved this issue with Wallet Creator: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1486573384 Didn't know it was this simple to just provide a download for prepared file. Is it open source?
ivanjermakov on HN
Stocard and SuperCards
From 1 comment
For loyaltycards there was Stocard, but it got acquired by the toxic company Klarna. SuperCards is very very similar, and in my opinion more useful than putting everything in…
jbverschoor on HN