How to debug your .pkpass

Introduction

Debugging Apple Wallet passes (.pkpass files) can be challenging, especially when you open and… nothing happens. It just fails silently.
Awesome DX right ?
But don’t worry, I’ve got three simple methods to help you debug your passes.

Method 1: Use Pkpass Validator

Pkpass Validator is a tool to help you validate and debug your passes. You also can use it via its online version.
But sometimes, even Pkpass Validator does not work so we will need to use the second or third method.

Method 2: Use the Console application on MacOS

On MacOS, we have a native application called Console that lets you view system logs. And we can use it to have access to the Pass Viewer logs.
Here’s how:

1. Open the Console application
2. Set the search to the process name Pass Viewer
3. Click the start button on the top
4. Try to open your pass
5. Logs should appear in the console

Method 3: Use the iOS Simulator

You can also test your .pkpass files using the iOS Simulator:

1. Launch the iOS Simulator.
2. Drag and drop your .pkpass file onto the simulator.
3. Open the system logs with Command + / (⌘ + /).
4. Logs should appear in the console, helping you see what went wrong.