Embed URL in barcode in Apple passes

Question

Is it possible to embed URL in Apple passes in such a way that when scanned, they redirect to that URL? I want to POST information to an API when the barcode/QR code gets scanned.

Answer 1

I have replicated this requirement and I am succesfully able to embed an URL inside the barcode of an Apple Wallet Pass. Below are the steps I followed,

So all you have to do is just enter the url value as a string,

1. Encode exactly the text of the URL in the barcode: "https://www.passsource.com/info/". Include the protocol ("http://", here) to ensure it is recognized as a URL.

In my Java code, I am using a open source Java library to generate the Apple wallet pass which is Jpasskit. I have entered the set message with the url string value and encoded as below,

barcode.setMessage("https://www.passsource.com/info/");
barcode.setMessageEncoding(Charset.forName("utf-8"));
List<PKBarcode> barcodeList = new ArrayList<PKBarcode>();
barcodeList.add(barcode);
pass.setBarcodes(barcodeList);

2. After generating the Apple Pass, the bar code will be diplayed similar to the below image in the bottom of the pass

3. Scan the barcode using a qr code reader and it will display the message as below asking permission to open the URL in a browser,

4. Once you click "Open in Browser" option, it will neatly opened in the mobile browser sunch as chrome.