Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 8.1, released today as a developer’s preview, offers limited support for Apple’s Passbook passes.
Passbook passes are just collection of data that get rendered into a card and displayed in Apple’s Passbook app. Think of the Passbook files like the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript data that makes up a webpage, and the Passbook app like the browser that renders the actual page. It looks like Windows Phone 8 is taking the same data and rendering a similar card out of it, and then pushing that card to Microsoft Wallet.
At this point, we don’t know if this is Microsoft operating independently, or if they have an agreement with the Cupertino firm to convert the data to its Microsoft Wallet. Reports say the importing seems to work well.
Passbook debuted in 2012 as part of iOS 6. The app acts as a digital wallet, and allows companies to store loyalty cards, gift cards, coupons, boarding passes, and more in the app.
