Notifications

There are two ways a pass reaches a user’s lock screen:

Automatic relevance — Apple Wallet and Google Wallet use data embedded in the pass (expiry, event time, locations) to decide when it is relevant. No server-side action is required once the pass is issued.
Push messages — you send a title and message to a specific pass through the API.

Expiry

When a pass has an expiry date set, the wallets use it to show the user when the pass stops being valid.

Apple Wallet — the pass is marked as expired once the date passes
Google Wallet — the pass’s validity period is set from validFrom and expiry

Supported pass types: all Set expiry when issuing a pass:

{
  "expiry": "2026-09-30T23:59:59Z"
}

Expiry is set per-pass, not per-template — different passes from the same template can have different expiry dates.

Event time

Event passes are automatically surfaced on the user’s lock screen as the event start time approaches.

Apple Wallet — shows the pass on the lock screen before and during the event window based on the startDate
Google Wallet — displays the event date and time on the ticket

Supported pass types: Event The startDate is set on the template and applies to all passes issued from it:

{
  "type": "event",
  "startDate": "2026-08-15T19:30:00Z"
}

No additional configuration is needed — Apple Wallet handles the timing automatically.

Location

Add locations to surface a pass on the lock screen when the user’s device is nearby — for example at your stores, venues, or branches.

Apple Wallet — shows a lock screen notification with your message when the user arrives in the vicinity
Google Wallet — surfaces the pass when the user is near one of the locations. Google Wallet has no per-location message.

Supported pass types: all Set locations on the template to apply them to every pass issued from it:

{
  "type": "membership",
  "locations": [
    {
      "name": "Acme Queen St",
      "address": "12 Queen St, Auckland",
      "latitude": -36.848461,
      "longitude": 174.763336,
      "relevantText": "Show your card for 10% off today"
    }
  ]
}

Field	Required	Description
`address`	Yes	The address of the location
`latitude`	Yes	Latitude of the location
`longitude`	Yes	Longitude of the location
`name`	No	A name for the location
`relevantText`	No	Apple Wallet only - the message shown in the lock screen notification. Falls back to `name`, then `address`.

A template can have up to 10 locations.

Per-pass locations

You can also set locations on an individual pass when you issue or update it. Pass locations are added to the template’s locations — they don’t replace them. Each wallet uses at most 10 locations per pass from the combined list.

Event venue

Event templates also accept a single location for the venue. It works as a location trigger like the ones above, and the venue name and address are shown on the pass.

{
  "type": "event",
  "startDate": "2026-08-15T19:30:00Z",
  "location": {
    "name": "City Theatre",
    "address": "12 Queen St, Auckland",
    "latitude": -36.848461,
    "longitude": 174.763336
  }
}

Push messages

Send a message to a specific pass with the notify endpoint. Use it for things like “Your reward is ready” or “Doors open in 30 minutes”.

POST /v1/pass/{templateId}/{passId}/notify

curl -X POST https://api.passform.io/v1/pass/my-membership-template/member-123/notify \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "notification": {
      "title": "Your reward is ready",
      "message": "You have 150 points - redeem in store today."
    }
  }'

Apple Wallet — the message appears as a lock screen notification and is added to the back of the pass. The 10 most recent messages are kept on the pass.
Google Wallet — the message is added to the pass and the user is notified. Google allows a maximum of 3 notifications per pass in a 24 hour period.

A push message does not change the pass’s data. To change what the pass displays, update the pass instead.

Summary

Trigger	Apple Wallet	Google Wallet	Pass types
Expiry	Pass marked expired	Validity period set	All
Event time	Lock screen before event	Date and time on ticket	Event
Near a location	Lock screen with message	Pass surfaced nearby	All
Push message	Lock screen + back of pass	Message + notification	All

Getting started

Guides

Integrations

Expiry

Event time

Location

Per-pass locations

Event venue

Push messages

Summary

​Expiry

​Event time

​Location

​Per-pass locations

​Event venue

​Push messages

​Summary

Expiry

Event time

Location

Per-pass locations

Event venue

Push messages

Summary