How to Create Your Own Passes in Apple Wallet on iOS 27

For years, Apple Wallet could only hold passes that a company chose to support. If your gym, library or local coffee shop never built an "Add to Apple Wallet" button, you were stuck carrying the plastic card or digging through screenshots. iOS 27 fixes that with a new Create a Pass option, which lets you turn almost any barcode, QR code or membership number into a Wallet pass yourself.

This guide explains the three ways to create a pass, how to edit it afterwards and what to keep in mind before you leave the physical card at home.

What you need

• An iPhone running iOS 27. Update in Settings > General > Software Update.
• For automatic scanning from a photo or the camera: Apple Intelligence and Visual Intelligence turned on. Apple says this works on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 models or later, in supported languages and regions.
• For manual creation: just the Wallet app. Apple's support pages list the Apple Intelligence requirement only for the photo and camera methods.

Method 1: Create a pass inside the Wallet app

1. Open the Wallet app. A quick way is to double-press the side button.
2. Tap the + (Add Card) button in the top-right corner.
3. Tap Create a Pass.
4. Choose how to add it. On a compatible iPhone, you can point the camera at the physical card or pick a photo from your library, and Visual Intelligence will read the code and the visible details for you.
5. Check the result. If something is missing or wrong, tap Edit Pass and correct it.
6. Tap the checkmark (or Add) to save the pass to Wallet.

Tip: photograph the whole card in good light, flat on a table. A sharp, complete image gives Visual Intelligence more to work with, and you can open the original photo from the pass later if you need it.

Method 2: Make a pass from a photo or screenshot

If you already have a picture of the card, or a screenshot of a QR code from an email or website, you don't even need to open Wallet first:

1. Open the photo in the Photos app, then tap the Info button or swipe up.
2. If iOS detects a barcode or QR code, an Add Pass to Wallet button appears. Tap it.
3. Edit the fields if needed, then save.

The same button also appears right after you take a screenshot that contains a code, and when you photograph a card with the Camera app.

Method 3: Build a pass manually

Manual creation is the best choice for clubs and services that use a member number or email address instead of a barcode.

1. In Wallet, tap +, then Create a Pass, then Create Pass Manually.
2. Pick a template. Membership and Event templates already include the usual fields; the general-purpose template suits gift cards, insurance cards and anything else.
3. Tap any field to change its label and value, for example "Member number" and your ID.
4. To add a barcode or QR code, tap the empty Add Code box and point the camera at the code. Wallet grabs the first code it sees, so keep other barcodes out of the frame.
5. Tap the checkmark to add the pass to Wallet.

A note on naming: Apple's support document and AppleInsider's hands-on call the three templates Standard, Membership and Event, while Tom's Guide and iDownloadBlog describe the general one as Custom. It's the same option, so pick whichever general template appears on your iPhone.

How to edit or customize a pass later

1. Open Wallet and tap the pass.
2. Tap the More (three dots) button, then Edit Pass.
3. Change the background and color, use Add or Remove Fields to change what's shown, or tap any field to edit it.
4. Tap the checkmark to save.

Your custom passes sit in the stack of passes and tickets below your payment cards. iDownloadBlog also reports that they sync to a paired Apple Watch and can be shared with other people from the pass's share button.

Limits worth knowing

• Rotating codes won't work. Apple warns that some concert and event tickets use barcodes or QR codes that change regularly. A photo of such a code expires, so use the official app or ticket instead.
• It isn't an official ID. A home-made pass is a convenient copy, not a verified document. Some shops, gyms or venues may still ask to see the original card.
• Apple Intelligence limits apply. The scanning features depend on device, language and region support, so the camera and photo methods may be missing on older iPhones.

What it means

Create a Pass closes one of the last practical gaps between Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, which has let Android users save their own passes for some time. More importantly, it moves control from businesses to users: you no longer have to wait for a loyalty program to add Wallet support.

Our take

This is one of the most useful everyday additions in iOS 27. Spend ten minutes adding your library card, gym membership and supermarket loyalty card, and you'll rarely need to carry them again. Just keep the originals for places that insist on seeing them, and don't rely on a photographed copy of a ticket with a changing code.

Sources: Apple Support (iPhone User Guide), Apple Support, Tom's Guide, iDownloadBlog, AppleInsider