How to Update Digital Wallet Passes and Send Push Notifications with SmartPass
A digital wallet pass is not a PDF that goes out of date the day after you send it. With SmartPass you change the data on a pass after it is issued, and the new version appears in your customer's Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Below you will find what you can update, how to write notifications that people read, ready examples for several industries and how a pass reaches the end of its life.
Key Takeaways
Live passes: updates reach passes already saved in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, with no new download.
What changes: field values, the barcode and the expiry date. The design comes from the campaign template.
Notifications on change: holders get a lock screen message only when a field set to notify them changes.
Ready examples: change messages for insurance, loyalty, events and employee passes.
Two ways to update: in the Sparados platform or from your CRM through the SmartPass API.
Why update a digital wallet pass instead of issuing a new one?
A digital wallet pass stays on your customer's phone for as long as your relationship lasts. When a status, a date or a balance changes, you update the pass you already issued. The holder keeps one pass, and you don't have to send a new email or ask anyone to save anything again.
Every pass goes through the same stages: you issue it, update it as often as you need, notify the holder about the changes that matter, and finally let it expire or void it.
What can you change on an issued digital wallet pass?
Each pass combines a campaign (the template) with the holder's own data. An update changes the data of one pass. The design belongs to the campaign.
Element | Can you change it on an issued pass? | Where it comes from |
Field values (e.g. status, balance, date) | Yes | The pass |
Barcode message and text under the barcode | Yes | The pass |
Expiry date | Yes, you can also remove it | The pass |
Logo, icon and strip image | No | The campaign |
Colours | No | The campaign |
The campaign the pass belongs to | No | Issue a new pass in another campaign |
How fields, zones and notification settings are set up in a campaign is covered in our guide on how to create a campaign and issue a SmartPass. This article starts where that guide ends: with a pass already in the holder's wallet.
How do you update a pass in the Sparados platform?
You don't need a developer to update a single pass. In the Sparados platform:
Open SmartPass in the side menu and go to the Passes tab.
Find the pass on the list by its holder and open the actions menu next to it.
Choose to edit the pass, change the values, the barcode or the expiry date, and save.
The change goes to every device where the holder saved the pass.
How do you update passes from your CRM through the API?
If pass data lives in your CRM, policy system or loyalty platform, your system can update passes on its own. Store the pass ID returned when the pass is issued, and when the data changes, send the new values for that pass to the SmartPass API. One request can change field values, the barcode and the expiry date.
API access is included at no extra cost. Endpoints, request examples and onboarding steps are described in the SmartPass API documentation on the Sparados Developer Zone.
Push notification examples for digital wallet passes by industry
A notification is only as useful as its change message. In each example below you update one field. Where the table shows [new value], you type the placeholder %@ in the change message in the panel, and the wallet replaces it with the field's new value.
Use case | Field and change message | What the holder sees |
Insurance claim | Claim status: "Your claim status: [new value]" | Your claim status: Approved |
Insurance renewal | Valid until: "Your policy is now valid until [new value]" | Your policy is now valid until 31 Dec 2027 |
Loyalty programme | Reward: "New reward unlocked: [new value]" | New reward unlocked: free coffee |
Event ticket | Entrance: "Your entrance has changed to [new value]" | Your entrance has changed to Gate C |
Event ticket | Start time: "New start time: [new value]" | New start time: 7:30 PM |
Employee pass | Access: "Your access has been updated: [new value]" | Your access has been updated: Building B |
Membership card | Level: "Your membership level: [new value]" | Your membership level: Gold |
Insurance
A claim status field with notifications lets policyholders follow their claim without calling the hotline. When a policy is renewed, update the validity date and the renewal link on the back of the pass. More examples for insurers are in our article on how Google Wallet and Apple Wallet are reshaping insurance.
Loyalty and retail
Update the points or stamp balance after each purchase, but don't notify about every one of them. Keep the balance in a field without notifications and add a separate reward field that notifies. The holder sees the current balance every time they open the pass and gets a message only when a reward is unlocked.
Events and tickets
A new date, start time or entrance is a change the holder has to act on, so it is worth a notification. Changes that don't affect the visit, such as a corrected seat description, can go in a field without notifications.
Employee and membership passes
Update the access level, membership level or validity date on the existing pass. When an employee leaves or a membership ends, void the pass instead of updating it.
When should you update a pass without a notification?
Not every change deserves an alert. Fixing a typo in a name or correcting a value entered by mistake shouldn't light up the holder's phone. In the SmartPass API you can mark an update as silent (notify: false): the pass changes, but no notification is sent, even for fields that normally notify.
Which pass updates deserve a push notification?
Good reasons to notify | Better as a quiet update |
A claim or order status changes | A typo in the holder's name |
A new date, time or entrance for an event | Changes to wording or formatting |
A renewal or offer the holder can act on | A correction of a wrongly entered value |
A reward or level the holder is waiting for | Internal reference numbers |
One change, one message: a short message about a single change is clearer than a summary of several.
Say what changed: include the new value in the message, as in the examples above.
Use the holder's language: set the change message for every language of the campaign.
What triggers a notification, and what doesn't?
In SmartPass a notification has one trigger: a change to the value of a field set to notify holders. SmartPass doesn't send notifications based on the holder's location or on a schedule. If you want to remind holders about something, update a notifying field at the right moment, from the platform or from your system.
There is no built-in news field either. To send short announcements through the pass, create your own field, set it to notify holders and update its value when you have news.
How does a digital wallet pass expire or get voided?
Expiry: if a pass has an expiry date, it is voided automatically when that date passes. Apple Wallet gets a native expiration date, and Google Wallet shows the validity period and an expiry notification. You can move or remove the expiry date with an update.
Void: you can void a pass yourself, for example when a policy is cancelled or an employee leaves. The pass is then shown as voided in the holder's wallet on both platforms.
Important: voiding is final. A voided pass can't be updated or restored. To give the holder a pass again, issue a new one.
FAQ: Updating digital wallet passes
Does an update reach passes already saved in the wallet?
Yes. When you update a pass, the change is pushed to the pass on the holder's device in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. The holder doesn't need to save it again.
Can I change the design of an issued pass?
No. On an issued pass you can change field values, the barcode and the expiry date. The logo, icon, strip image and colours come from the campaign template.
Does every update send a push notification?
No. A notification is sent only when the value of a field set to notify holders changes. Through the API you can also make an update silent.
Can SmartPass send notifications based on location or time?
No. Notifications in SmartPass are triggered only by a change to a field value. To remind holders at a specific time, update a notifying field at that moment.
Can a voided pass be restored?
No. Voiding is final and a voided pass can't be updated. To give the holder a pass again, issue a new one.
Do updates and notifications count toward my SmartPass limit?
No. Only sent passes count toward the limit, so you can update passes and send notifications as often as you need. Details are on the SmartPass pricing page.
See updates and notifications on your own use case
Tell us which statuses, dates or balances you want to keep up to date on your customers' phones. Book a demo and we'll show you how to set up the fields and change messages for your use case.
