Troubleshooting push notifications

Before you troubleshoot a device, check whether the change triggers a notification at all.

• The changed field needs a Change Message. Without one, the pass updates silently. Only changes to front and back fields trigger notifications. Images, colors and dates update silently. See How Wallet push notifications work.
• The wallet shows a notification only if the field value has changed.
• The template must still use the same certificate as when you created the pass, and the certificate must be valid. If you switch certificates, push updates for existing passes stop working. Pass holders have to download those passes again.
• You must publish template changes. A saved draft alone does not reach devices.
• Google Wallet does not display change messages at all. Use the push notification feature instead, and remember the limit set by Google of 3 messages that trigger a push per pass within 24 hours. If no notification arrives on a Google Wallet pass, the pass has probably reached this limit.
• Check the pass history. Go to Passes, expand the pass and click Activity. Events like Update has been sent and Update has been delivered to user tell you whether the update left Passcreator and reached the device.

Allow up to 15 minutes after publishing for updates to arrive, and check that the device has an internet connection.

Apple Wallet is part of iOS, so problems are rare. Check the following points.

1. Check that the pass holder has not turned off updates for the pass. Open the pass in Apple Wallet, tap the info button on the front and check on the back of the pass that the switches for automatic updates and notifications are on.
2. Check the system notification settings for Wallet under Settings › Notifications › Wallet. iOS must allow lock screen notifications for Wallet.
3. Check that the device has an internet connection.
4. If push updates stopped working after a certificate change on the template, delete the pass and download it again.

On Android, a wallet app such as PassWallet displays the passes. If updates arrive only once the pass holder opens the app, one of these three causes is usually behind it.

1. Android does not allow PassWallet to display notifications.
2. Notifications are off within PassWallet.
3. Battery Saver or Adaptive Battery blocks push notifications.

The menu paths below apply to Android 10. The paths differ by Android version and device manufacturer. If you cannot find a setting, use the search feature in the Android Settings.

1. Restart the device. Reboot the phone first.
2. Check connectivity. Check that the device has an internet connection.
3. Review the app notification settings. Open Android Settings › Apps & notifications › See all apps › PassWallet › Notifications and check that Show notifications is on and that all three notification channels are on.
4. Allow background data. Open Android Settings › Apps & notifications › See all apps › PassWallet › Mobile data & Wi-Fi and check that Background data and Unrestricted data usage are both on.
5. Deactivate the Battery Saver mode of Android or exclude PassWallet. Open Android Settings › Apps & notifications › See all apps › PassWallet › Advanced › Battery › Battery optimisation, scroll to PassWallet and select Don't optimize.
6. Turn on notifications inside PassWallet. Open PassWallet, go to the menu, select Settings and turn on the options Automatic Push Updates, Show notifications, iBeacons and iBeacon Locations.

Samsung devices running Android 7

If you experience problems on a Samsung device running Android 7, work through these steps.

1. Go to Settings › Device maintenance › Battery › Power saving mode and turn Power saving mode off, or adjust the MID saving mode so that it allows background data usage.
2. Go to Settings › Device maintenance › Battery › Advanced settings and turn App power monitor off.
3. Go to Settings › Device maintenance › Battery › Battery usage › Optimise battery usage, select All apps in the dropdown menu and set the switch next to PassWallet to off.
4. Go to Settings › Connections › Wi-Fi › Advanced and set Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep to always.
5. Go to Settings › Apps › PassWallet › Mobile data and turn Allow background data usage on.

If the problem persists, continue with the general Android steps above.

Huawei devices

Reboot the phone first, then follow the steps for your EMUI version.

EMUI 9 on Android 9

1. Go to Settings › Battery and check that Performance mode, Power Saving mode and Ultra Power Saving mode are all off.
2. In Settings › Battery, tap App launch.
3. Scroll to PassWallet and set the switch to the Off position.
4. A dialog with the three options Auto-launch, Secondary launch and Run in background appears. Turn all three on and confirm with OK.

Older EMUI versions

The paths apply to EMUI 5.0 on Android 7.0. Names and locations differ by device and OS version.

1. Battery saving mode. Go to Settings › Battery › Close apps after screen lock and set PassWallet to Don't close.
2. Background data. Go to Settings › Apps › PassWallet › Data usage, scroll down and set Background data to allowed.

If the problem persists, continue with the general Android steps above.

Xiaomi devices

If messages arrive only when the pass holder opens PassWallet on a Xiaomi device, work through these steps. The paths apply to MIUI 8.5 on Android 6.0. Names and locations differ by device and software version.

1. Reboot the phone.
2. Go to Settings › Additional Settings › Battery and Performance › Manage apps' battery usage and turn Power saving modes off.
3. Open the Security app, go to Permissions and add PassWallet to Autostart.
4. Open the Task Manager by pressing the menu button on the device, find PassWallet, drag it downwards until the padlock icon appears and tap the padlock icon.
5. In the Security app, open its settings with the cog icon in the top right corner, select Data usage and turn Allow background data on.
6. Turning off Memory Optimization in the Developer Settings of MIUI under Settings › Additional Settings also helps in some cases. To enable the Developer settings, go to Settings › About Phone and tap MIUI version several times.

If the problem persists, continue with the general Android steps above.

Sony devices

Deactivate the STAMINA mode in the battery settings of the device, and allow background data for PassWallet in the system settings. If the problem persists, continue with the general Android steps above.

OnePlus devices

To keep PassWallet running in the background, go to Settings › Storage and set the automatic storage optimization to Standard, or turn it off completely. If the problem persists, continue with the general Android steps above.

By default the pass holder controls whether location notifications appear, with the settings on the pass itself or the device settings. See Location based notifications for how they work.

On iOS

iOS shows location based notifications only under the following conditions.

• The battery level of the device is 40% or higher. Below that, notifications show unreliably.
• Location services are on for the Wallet app. Check the settings of the iPhone.
• iOS allows lock screen notifications for Wallet under Settings › Notifications › Wallet.
• On the back of the pass, the Show on lock screen setting is on. This is the default.
• If you use iBeacon notifications, Bluetooth is on. iOS uses Bluetooth to trigger them.

These are default settings, so most users already have them in place. iOS devices check the current location only from time to time. When a person visits a place for the first time, it can take a while until the notification triggers.

If location notifications still don't show on iOS, try the following.

• Turn on WiFi. iPhones use WiFi networks to improve location accuracy, even without a connection to a network.
• Check that the iPhone has location services turned on at the system level.
• If the location has bad mobile coverage, use iBeacons to trigger the notification instead.

On Android

Location based notifications on Android with PassWallet need the following settings.

• Location services are on for the device.
• PassWallet has permission to use the location of the device under Settings › Apps › PassWallet › Permissions.
• Within PassWallet, open the menu, tap Settings, scroll to the Notifications area and turn on Show notifications, iBeacons and iBeacon Locations.