Starbucks Adds Passbook Support to Its iPhone App - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Starbucks Adds Passbook Support to Its iPhone App

Starbucks has added Passbook support to its iPhone app [App Store], as perhaps the highest profile app to embrace the feature. Starbucks customers can use its app to store gift cards and use QR codes on the phone to quickly pay for food and drinks without needing cash or credit cards. Additionally, the company keeps track of purchases for its rewards program.

NewImage
It's a near perfect use of Passbook; presumably why Starbucks is prominently featured in Apple's marketing. Passbook is designed to get users directly into gift cards or event tickets from the lock screen, using time and location information to discover when a user is near a Starbucks and put a link to the Starbucks gift card directly on the lock screen.

The Starbucks app is a free download on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Other apps using Passbook include Ticketmaster, Fandango, American Airlines, United Airlines, Lufthansa, Major League Baseball, Eventbrite, and McDonalds (as a limited test in France).

Thanks Will!

Popular Stories

General Apps Reddit Feature

Reddit Starts Blocking Mobile Website, Pushing Users to App Instead

Monday May 11, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it's fair to say that the move is not going down well with users. If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit." A Reddit spokesperson told Ars Technica...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 With End-to-End Encrypted RCS, New Wallpaper, and Maps Updates

Monday May 11, 2026 10:06 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5, the newest updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems. The software comes nearly two months after Apple released iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 15.8.8, iOS 16.7.16, iOS 18.7.9, and...

Top Rated Comments

178 months ago
Updated to support Passbook and iOS 6, but not iPhone 5?
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KindredMAC Avatar
178 months ago
And Apple themselves do not make a gift card version for passbook....
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple... Avatar
178 months ago
The Apple Store app still doesn't support iPhone 5 :mad:
...or the iPad.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
178 months ago
To bad Passbook isn't supported for the Canadian version, nor is it updated for iPhone 5 resolution yet.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iorangutan Avatar
178 months ago
Cool - Shame they don't make decent coffee

All very well, but they'll need to make something other than buckets of milky slop
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jlake02 Avatar
178 months ago
I noticed this right after it came out.

I didn't turn on the location feature, though. Something tells me that if my phone is checking if I'm at a Starbucks 24/7 it won't exactly extend battery life. ;)

Besides, only takes 3 seconds to get to Passbook.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)