Cardmaker American Banknote (ABnote) is pushing a package the vendor says makes it is easy to deliver Apple Passbook functionality on Android devices.
The service from ABnoteworking with a British app dev company called Above Mobileis called PassWallet. "PassWallet is a 100% clone" of Apple's Passbook, said ABnote CIO John Ekers.
"We've created a generic SDK" that replicates the look, feel and content of Passbook and retains payment cards, bank account numbers, ID documents, travel/event tickets, loyalty, gift cards and coupons, Ekers said.
The SDK generates "service calls for updating content dynamically," Ekers said, theoretically making it easier for banks and payment companies to integrate content for Android customers.
Apple's Passbook app was originally a wallet for other card apps, storing digital versions of store loyalty cards, plane tickets and similar items. Passbook became the foundation of Apple Pay, which launched last year, and consumers now use it to manage the accounts they've linked to Apple Pay. Apple is planning to rebrand the app, calling it Wallet, in the next update to its iOS mobile operating system.
Other companies have attempted to clone Apple's Passbook on Android. Samsung launched its own
"Apple created the Passbook standard for card, coupon and ticket delivery to iOS devices," said Andy Nugent, Director at Above Mobile. "My team built PassWallet to fill the gap for the Android platform. Apple and iOS 8 introduced Apple Pay and by partnering with ABnote, we can now offer an equivalent experience for non-Apple users."
