At the Worldwide Developers Conference that happened in June 2022, Apple announced many software upgrades and new versions of their devices. The most important one for us is the launch of iOS 16, planned for autumn 2022. This new version of the OS is very promising for Apple Wallet adoption and goes in the same direction as the Google Wallet announcement. In this article, you will find our selection of the most important improvements.
• ID cards and identity verification
• Order tracking
Global news on iOS 16
• Safari push notifications
• Live activities
Summary
Focus on Apple Wallet
Here we will focus on our Mobile Wallets users, and the benefits they can get from this new version of the app.
ID cards and identity verification
- Apple Wallet users will have the possibility to add their official identity documents in their Wallet, as they can with Google Wallet. This will work firstly with US driving licenses, as well as French ID cards. Regarding French identity documents, this was confirmed by the French government.
- This will allow users to identify in apps that require identity or age verification, without having to scan or copy them. Information will be shared only if validated with FaceID or TouchID.
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In this example, the user identifies on Turo, a car rental app, with a driver's license, and completes the security check with Face ID. |
- Moreover, as in Google Wallet, users will add their car keys to their wallet, adding here another reason to use the app.
Order tracking
With iOS 16, brands will be able to give visibility to their clients on their purchases and their deliveries. Indeed, after a purchase has been completed online, the client will receive a notification confirming that it was processed correctly, and afterwards, will have the possibility to track the progress of the preparation and delivery of their order, via a progress bar and notifications.
Global news on iOS 16
Safari Web push notifications
Safari on iOS and MacOS is the last major browser which does not support web push notifications. However, this will change in 2023. This will allow marketers to engage Safari users the same way as other browsers do such as Chrome and Firefox.
Live activities
Apple also announced the release of new notification formats, close to a widget: called live activities. Thanks to this feature, brands will be able to display time-based activities, such as a the live score of a sports game, a cab ride progress, or a food delivery being carried out.
This new feature is being released along with other iOS lock screen modifications, which will be more personalized, using various templates and widgets.
In a few words
WWDC22 has been, as usual, packed with news for iPhone users. For the public, the main information is about the new lock screen, with the abitility to personalize it, and to make at last this screen useful. For marketers, being able to send push notifications through Safari is probably the most important update. On Apple Wallet and Apple Pay, there has been quite a few improvements as well, from the post-purchase experience with order tracking to the addition of identity documents. These features will probably boost adoption of the app at worldwide scale. If you're interested, you can also take a look at two new payment features: Apple Pay Later and Tap to Pay.