Show HN: WalletWallet – create Apple passes from anything

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reaction & core use case

  • Many commenters are enthusiastic; several say they’ve been wanting exactly this to stop carrying single-purpose barcode cards (gym, library, loyalty, rec center, etc.).
  • Main value: turn any existing barcode/QR into an Apple Wallet or Google Wallet pass so everything lives in one place and is quickly accessible (e.g., double-tap from lock screen, full brightness, no app switching).
  • Some use cases extend beyond loyalty cards, e.g., using it as a “business card” linking to a profile.

Apple vs Google Wallet behavior

  • For iOS, normal users cannot create wallet passes themselves; passes must be signed with a paid Apple Developer certificate, which this service handles.
  • Apple Wallet is picky: passes often must be added via Safari links, not file imports; this frustrates users.
  • Google Wallet can import .pkpass files and manually added cards, but many sites only expose .pkpass downloads to iPhones, and Google’s own format is less desktop-friendly.
  • Some de-Googled Android users find .pkpass + FOSS wallets work better than official Google flows.

Privacy, trust, and signing architecture

  • Significant concern: the site’s copy claims “processed locally / private,” but creation currently requires sending data to a server for signing.
  • Multiple commenters call this misleading or a “lie” and ask for explicit clarification.
  • Others explain that Apple’s signing model (paid cert, private key) makes fully client-side signing hard unless each user brings their own certificate.
  • The author indicates plans for a “bring your own key” open-source version that users can run locally or self-host.

Barcode handling & “AI” discussion

  • Requests for more barcode types: Code39, Codabar (often used for library cards), EAN‑8, and a preview before download. Some report that using only Code 128 breaks cards whose original symbology differs.
  • Debate over “no AI scanning”: some note barcode reading is a mature, non‑AI problem and manual entry shouldn’t be framed as “less error-prone than AI.”
  • Suggestions include using browser barcode libraries, the Barcode Detection API, or scanning apps; QR scanning was later implemented client-side.

Alternatives, UX, and limitations

  • Several alternative apps are discussed (some highly recommended, some crashy or subscription-based), with pushback on paying recurring fees for one-off passes.
  • Feature requests:
    • Location-based popping of passes on lock screen.
    • Showing the numeric membership ID under the barcode.
    • Archiving or de-cluttering rarely used passes.
    • PWA support, better field ordering, larger input fonts, better error handling.
  • Some users report minor bugs (barcode not shown, only QR; offline creation impossible despite messaging).