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Apple Wallet and no pass desired - no need for IDF Mobilities App?

Posted by (Chicago) on

I hope to confirm my understanding before an upcoming trip. Thanks for any help!

I will use a handful of Metro tickets and the Roissy bus. It seems that I can purchase individual tickets and the Roissy Buss directly from Apple Wallet. As I don't need a pass of any type, I don't see that I need to download and use the IDF Mobilities app. Is this correct?

I have a Navigo Easy from previous trips - nothing loaded, but will bring that along as a back-up.

Also, if there are any with recent experience reading this - I wonder how this iPhone system is working???? I ask because last Paris trip a year or so ago with the physical Navigo loaded with a carnet, I had trouble in more than one Metro station getting the gates to open without involving a transit official. The problems were at random individual stations and I was generally not the only one who couldn't get through. My assumption was that some stations had faulty equipment.

Thank you!

Posted by
1530 posts

“I will use a handful of Metro tickets and the Roissy bus. It seems that I can purchase individual tickets and the Roissy Buss directly from Apple Wallet. As I don't need a pass of any type, I don't see that I need to download and use the IDF Mobilities app. Is this correct?”

Correct. If you want a ticket that can be bought directly from the wallet app, you indeed don’t need to also download the IDF app.

“Also, if there are any with recent experience reading this - I wonder how this iPhone system is working????”

It seems you think this system is new. It isn’t, Android users have been able to use it for several years already and it generally works perfectly. What’s new is that Apple and IDF finally reached an agreement, so the IPhone and Apple Watch users can now use the same technology too. I recently spend 3 weeks in Paris during which I used several forms of public transport on a daily basis. No matter if I used the bus, tram, metro or RER I was always able to tap in with my IPhone.

Posted by
1017 posts

Thanks Dutch!

I am aware that Android users have had this option, but as an iPhone user, it hasn't been available to me. I was wondering what kind of experiences Apple phone users have had. After all, the Navigo cards have been available for years and I still encountered random difficulties as I know others have. As you say, the technology for Android and Apple should be the same, so I hope to have the same positive experiences you did!!

Posted by
1530 posts

I’m sorry, but I’m not sure I understand your concern or what it is your asking. No matter if you use a Navigo card, an IPhone, an Apple Watch, a Samsung phone or another compatible device, you tap the exact same reader. The reader doesn’t care if you present an IPhone or a Samsung phone. If the reader is operational, it will read the device and let you in if it detects a valid transport ticket or pass. If the reader is broken, it won’t be able to read your device regardless of whether it’s an iPhone or a Samsung. The technology is in use for several years now. The readers had the technical ability to read IPhones right from the start, but Apple wouldn’t allow it until recently.

Like I said, I just spent 3 weeks in Paris and used my IPhone to tap in on various types of public transport in zones 1, 2, 3 and 4 on a daily basis. It worked flawlessly every single time.

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