Why Apple Wallet Is the Most Underrated Dev Platform

13 May, 2025 • by Ignacy Wielogórski

Why Apple Wallet Is the Most Underrated Dev Platform

If you can’t build the future, smuggle it in.

From the very start, I’ve had a thing for Apple’s newest technologies. SwiftUI, WalletKit, Live Activities—I always wanted to use them not just as a developer, but as someone bringing underused innovations into places where they barely existed.

In Poland, Apple Wallet was one of those things. Everyone had iPhones. But no one really used Wallet—except for boarding passes. There was no local ecosystem for digital passes, no one issuing real, functional cards.

And for years, I couldn’t do anything about it.

I was too young to register for a developer account. Too inexperienced to build full tools. Too early to get anyone to take me seriously.

So I did the only thing I could: I waited—and learned.

Becoming an Apple Developer (Via My Mom)

While shipping my first-ever iOS app (a school LMS wrapper I built at 14, which hit #8 in the Polish App Store), I finally convinced my mom to help me register an Apple Developer account under her name and deploy the app there.

We sat together uploading documents, figuring out tax forms, and navigating Apple’s bureaucracy—just so I could build the next thing.

And as soon as I got access, I started experimenting with Apple Wallet.

Building DronePass: From Side Tool to Viral Hit

The idea was simple.

In 2023, I noticed that holders of the European EASA drone license had no digital version of their certificate. They were carrying around paper cards or PDF printouts.

So I built DronePass—a tool that let any EASA-certified pilot create a legally recognizable Apple Wallet pass version of their drone license in minutes.

  • Users uploaded their credentials.
  • I validated and signed them with my dev keys.
  • The pass was ready instantly—with QR codes, dynamic fields, and secure metadata.

It was clean, instant, and reliable.

And it caught on.

  • I priced it at €5 per digitization.
  • In weeks, over 500 paying users signed up.
  • For a 16-year-old, making real money from a digital tool felt insane.

From Solo Hack to Acquisition Talks

Soon after launch, I got reached out to by a company in the UK.

They were building drone training platforms and approached me to collaborate on DronePass, aiming to launch it across the UK by leveraging their existing market presence, regulatory experience, and trusted relationships with public sector and infrastructure clients.

It was the first time I realized this wasn’t just a fun side project. It was a product with real utility, monetization, and distribution.

Applying Wallet Tech Locally

After DronePass, I kept going.

I started experimenting with bringing Wallet-based passes to Polish gyms, issuing digital membership cards that:

  • Refreshed dynamically.
  • Synced with Barcode check-ins.
  • Reduced plastic usage and admin work.

It wasn’t always easy—many local businesses didn’t understand the tech. But I learned how to build both the frontend and the business case.

Why Apple Wallet Still Matters

Apple Wallet isn’t flashy. It doesn’t get trending on dev Twitter. But it’s one of the most underrated platforms for indie developers who want to:

  • Ship fast.
  • Deliver real-world utility.
  • Avoid bloated app builds.
  • Use native Apple tech without over-engineering.

And for users? It’s frictionless. Everyone knows how to use it.

Closing Thoughts

Sometimes, the best tech isn’t the newest—it’s the most ignored. And Apple Wallet gave me my first real taste of:

  • Product-market fit.
  • Monetization.
  • Cross-border scaling.
  • And being taken seriously as a builder.

If you're a solo dev or indie hacker, don’t underestimate it. If you’re in a market where no one’s using Wallet? Even better.

That’s your wedge.