United rolls out Apple Wallet iOS 26 boarding passes

United Airlines has begun supporting Apple Wallet's enhanced boarding passes introduced with iOS 26, making it the first major carrier to roll out the new features that centralize flight information, airport maps and luggage tracking on iPhones. The update arrived shortly after the public release of iOS 26 and lets travelers add a richer, interactive boarding pass to the Wallet app and to their lock screen.

Apple unveiled the upgrades at its developer conference in June. The enhanced boarding passes include a Live Activity flight tracker that updates in real time on the lock screen, a tappable airport map where supported, and a direct link to track checked luggage through the Find My app using AirTags or other supported item trackers. Apple also said several other carriers plan to add support soon, including Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, Jetstar, Lufthansa, Qantas, Southwest and Virgin Australia.

The Live Activity does not appear automatically when a boarding pass is added. Users report they must opt in by tapping a button on the boarding pass inside Wallet to create the flight tracker on their lock screen. That tracker displays status such as gate and estimated...