Ticketmaster will be first to use new Apple Wallet tickets feature

Among the more overlooked features that iOS 18 brings to the iPhone are the updates to Apple Wallet, in particular the Apple Wallet event ticket experience.

On Thursday, Ticketmaster announced that it would be the first company to take advantage of the new feature-rich Apple Wallet tickets feature. 

"With the new, enhanced ticket in Apple Wallet experience, fans are closer to the action from the moment they add their pass to their iPhone," said Ticketmaster President Mark Yovich in a statement. "We’re extremely proud to work with Apple to bring this enhanced ticketing experience to fans."

Ticketmaster being the first to take advantage of this new iOS 18 Apple Wallet feature shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Ticketmaster is a giant in the live events and entertainment industry. However, this announcement does show that the new Apple Wallet tickets feature is quickly being welcomed by the live events industry. iOS 18 launched with this new feature less than a month ago. Expect more live event and ticketing companies to adopt this new Apple Wallet feature soon too.

A look at the new Apple Wallet ticket experience on iOS 18. Credit: Ticketmaster

What's new to Apple Wallet tickets

If you've never added tickets to Apple Wallet before, here's how it basically works:

When an iPhone user buys an event ticket, the company can offer that customer an option to add the ticket to Apple Wallet. If selected, the tickets appear in the user's Apple Wallet for easy access. The user can pull up their Apple Wallet when entering a venue and get scanned in via the barcode on their phone screen.

With iOS 18, Apple brings way more functionality to tickets inside Apple Wallet.

Previously, tickets just provided the basic information one might find on a printed ticket like the start time. Now, with the upgrades in iOS 18, tickets in Apple Wallet will provide a map of the venue, parking details, local weather forecasts, related merchandise links, and recommended Apple Music playlists. 

In addition, tickets will have customized designs specific to each event. The new ticket experience also includes location sharing capabilities so users can meet up with friends who are also attending.

Venues and sports teams can also further add to the Apple Wallet ticket experience by linking to their own app or website.

According to Ticketmaster, the new Apple Wallet tickets will launch with Major League Soccer (MLS) on Oct. 19 for the Los Angeles Football Club's (LAFC) home game at BMO Stadium. After that, the new Apple Wallet ticket experience will be used for the Miami HEAT's games and continue to roll out throughout next year.