Does my airline have to be in Apple's announced starting group?

The announcement identifies a starting group, but it is not a route-by-route availability list. The issuer must provide semantic boarding-pass fields, and live gate or delay updates also need a matching operating-carrier feed.

Will a NeatPass-created boarding pass show the enhanced experience?

Not automatically. NeatPass can preserve barcode and structured flight data, but it cannot guarantee the issuer's semantic tags, Apple's enhanced layout, or a live feed. Updates also depend on the operating carrier and matched flight number.

Do I need internet for the boarding pass barcode to scan?

No. The barcode is stored on device and works offline. Only the live updates (gate changes, delays) need an internet connection to push new data.

Why did my Live Activity disappear before I boarded?

An activity can end when the issuer or live-data feed stops providing updates, the journey is complete, or iOS removes a stale activity. The stored pass keeps its normal Wallet behavior.

Can I use the same Live Activity for multiple passengers on one phone?

Each eligible boarding pass has its own activity. Multiple passes may appear separately or be grouped by iOS. Share a pass only when the issuer and that pass provide Apple's supported sharing flow; sharing does not create the enhanced experience.

iOS 26 Enhanced Boarding Pass Experience: Apple’s Announced Carriers

Live Activities predate iOS 26. iOS 26 adds an enhanced semantic boarding-pass experience in Apple Wallet that can surface gate, delay, and boarding information when an eligible pass and live data are available.

Apple announced a starting group of carriers for the enhanced experience. This guide explains the issuer metadata, operating-carrier data, device settings, and troubleshooting without treating that announcement as a route-by-route promise.

Apple's Announced Starting Carriers for the Enhanced Boarding Pass Experience

Apple announced the enhanced boarding-pass experience at WWDC 2025 and named a starting group of carriers. The announcement is not a promise that every listed airline will show the experience on every route; the issuer still has to provide the required semantic fields and live data.

United Airlines

Named by Apple in the announced starting group for the enhanced boarding-pass experience; the issued pass and route still determine what appears.

Air Canada

Named by Apple in the announced starting group; the issuer must provide the semantic pass fields and live data for the enhanced experience.

American Airlines

Named by Apple in the announced starting group; the exact presentation depends on the pass issued for the flight.

JetBlue

Named by Apple in the announced starting group; route, issuer metadata, and available flight data still determine what appears.

Lufthansa Group

Named by Apple in the announced starting group; a qualifying pass still needs the required semantic fields and live feed.

For a carrier-specific example, see. Apple's announced starting group also names Air Canada, American Airlines, JetBlue, Jetstar, Lufthansa Group, Qantas, Southwest, United, and Virgin Australia. That list is an announcement, not a guarantee that the experience will appear on every route. For airline-specific guides, see the Lufthansa, American Airlines, and easyJet articles.

Live Activity depends on more than a barcode

A pass needs the right boarding-pass metadata and semantic fields for the iOS 26 layout. Real-time Live Activity updates also depend on airline support and the operating carrier's data. A NeatPass-created pass can preserve the barcode and structured flight fields, but it cannot promise the same airline-issued Live Activity feed as a first-party pass.

What Triggers the Live Activity

The enhanced experience appears only when Wallet has a qualifying semantic boarding pass and a matching source of live flight data. Live Activities themselves are an existing iOS feature; the issuer's pass fields and the operating carrier's feed determine whether boarding information can populate them.

Semantic boarding-pass fields

The issuer must mark the pass as a boarding pass and provide Apple's required semantic tags for flight, airport, and journey data.

Operating-carrier feed

Gate, terminal, and delay updates can use either the marketing or operating airline's code and flight number; marketing numbers are common, and the issuer/feed must map them to the operating flight data.

Device permissions

Live Activities and Wallet notifications must be enabled in Settings, and the iPhone must be able to receive the relevant network updates.

Optional journey data

Maps, baggage, or airline-service details appear only when the issuer pass and available live data include the matching fields or links.

Requirements for the New Boarding Pass Experience

Even if the airline supports iOS 26 boarding passes, every requirement on the device side has to line up.

iOS 26 or later on an iPhone that supports it.
Live Activities enabled in Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > Live Activities.
Notifications allowed in Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > Notifications. For lock-screen access, also check Settings > Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode) > Wallet.
The boarding pass must be added to Apple Wallet (not just saved as a PDF in the airline app).
The pass must be an issuer-provided boarding pass with the required semantic flight, airport, and journey fields.
Internet access for the live updates to push (the barcode itself works offline).

Check the pass and feed

Adding a pass early does not create the enhanced experience by itself. Check that the issuer supplied the semantic boarding-pass fields, the operating carrier has matching live data, and Wallet permissions are enabled.

Get any boarding pass into Wallet

NeatPass makes it easy to convert any ticket, pass, or loyalty card to Apple Wallet.

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When the Issuer Does Not Provide the Enhanced Fields

A pass can remain a normal Apple Wallet boarding pass when the issuer has not supplied the semantic fields or live feed for the enhanced experience. The stored pass and barcode remain available according to the issuer's normal Wallet behavior; enhanced live presentation is the part that may be missing.

What still works

The stored boarding-pass barcode and fields in Wallet
Normal Wallet presentation and issuer-supplied updates
Offline access to pass data already stored on the device
Any standard pass actions supplied by the issuer

What you miss

The enhanced semantic boarding-pass presentation
Live gate and delay data when no matching feed is available
Maps, baggage, or service links not supplied in the pass data
Any airline-specific live presentation the issuer has not provided

For PDF boarding passes from carriers without Wallet support, see converting a boarding pass PDF to Wallet or read about iOS 26 Live Flight Tracking in detail.

NeatPass Boarding Passes and iOS 26

NeatPass creates standard PassKit boarding passes. The enhanced semantic boarding-pass experience still depends on issuer-provided semantic tags and matching live data; a pass signed by NeatPass cannot guarantee the airline's enhanced layout or feed.

The signing flow is documented in the privacy FAQ. The barcode and pass content stay on device, and a cryptographic hash is sent to a signing service so Apple Wallet accepts the pass. Once installed, the pass works offline (see offline mode).

Live Activity caveat for personal passes

Live Activities are an existing iOS feature. The iOS 26 enhanced boarding-pass presentation needs the issuer's semantic tags, while live updates need a matching flight-data feed. NeatPass can preserve barcode and structured flight data, but it cannot guarantee Apple's enhanced layout or an airline-provided feed.

Troubleshooting When Live Activity Does Not Appear

If the airline supports iOS 26 boarding passes but no Live Activity shows up on the lock screen, run through this list.

Check iOS version in Settings, General, About, iOS Version. iOS 26.0 or later is required.
Confirm Live Activities are on in Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > Live Activities.
Check Wallet notifications in Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > Notifications. Allow notifications. For lock-screen access, check Settings > Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode) > Wallet.
Re-add the pass if the issuer's pass is missing the required semantic fields. Wallet cannot add fields that are not present in the issued pass.
Check the flight number on the pass. The issuer/feed can match either the marketing or operating airline's code and flight number. Marketing numbers are common; if updates are missing, check how the pass maps to the operating flight.
Restart the iPhone if the pass has the required semantic fields and matching operating-carrier data but Wallet still shows no update.

For passes that will not install at all, check the pkpass troubleshooting guide. For boarding passes from European low cost carriers, see the Ryanair guide.

FAQ

Add a boarding pass to Wallet

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Your Pass at the Gate

The iOS 26 enhanced semantic boarding-pass experience is useful when the issuer supplies the required fields and matching live data. Otherwise, the pass remains a standard Wallet pass with the barcode and fields that the issuer provided.

For a pass that does not show the enhanced experience, getting a clean Wallet pass with the correct issuer and flight metadata is the priority. See supported barcode formats and lock screen widget setup to make the most of any pass.