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Getting my library cards onto my phone the hard way

iliana.fyi

111–120 of 181 posts

Re: Getting my library cards onto my phone the hard way

#111
post #5

So wait: you don't want to pay Apple $99 and you don't want to pay for one of the apps that generates a pass for you, but you'll extract the cert from one of those apps thereby piggybacking on another developer's $99 payment to Apple. That's uncool. On a slightly related note: a site I login to regularly uses Semantic VIP Access for 2FA. You can convert these to standard TOTP codes so that you can load them into the…

On the contrary, this kind of hack is /incredibly/ cool. Finding ways around arbitrary restrictions? Writing a bash script that generates barcodes? Beautiful.

Re: Getting my library cards onto my phone the hard way

#112
post #28

This was a great blogpost, but then ends with: > I will note that I have not yet tested this pass in a real library yet I get this project was mostly for fun, but why not spend the 10 minutes it takes to test the final solution before sharing your work?

Library might not be open on a Saturday?

This isn't an unpublished zero-day, or even a new feature in iOS. I would've waited until Monday to publish if that was the issue.

Re: Getting my library cards onto my phone the hard way

#114
post #20

Gosh. I just emailed myself a .png of the barcode containing my library card number and open it in, like, the Photos or Gmail app when I'm at the kiosk.

Wallet passes allow you to define locations and timespans where the pass is "relevant". I've used the app MakePass to create a pass with my StarBucks membership code and when I'm nearing my usual shops, my phone will automatically suggest the StarBucks pass on the lock screen.

Same with event tickets. I define a location and timespan and when I arrive at that location, my phone will suggest the pass automatically without me having to look for it. Also, after the event, it won't suggest it anymore and move the pass to the "Expired Passes" section to not clutter the main view.

MakePass: https://pvieito.com

Re: Getting my library cards onto my phone the hard way

#115
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The other thing about going fare-free-- which people don't like to discuss but it is a real effect which has been measured-- is that it causes much more anti-social behavior on the bus, which decreases ridership among people who have only a slight preference for transit versus just driving their car. This not only makes traffic worse (which kinda defeats the whole purpose), it also tanks political support for transit…

Can you point to where you found this measurement? This is the first I've heard of it.

Seattle got rid of its downtown core free ride area in part because of disruptive and illegal behavior by riders.

Re: Getting my library cards onto my phone the hard way

#116
post #5

So wait: you don't want to pay Apple $99 and you don't want to pay for one of the apps that generates a pass for you, but you'll extract the cert from one of those apps thereby piggybacking on another developer's $99 payment to Apple. That's uncool. On a slightly related note: a site I login to regularly uses Semantic VIP Access for 2FA. You can convert these to standard TOTP codes so that you can load them into the…

On the contrary, this kind of hack is /incredibly/ cool. Finding ways around arbitrary restrictions? Writing a bash script that generates barcodes? Beautiful.

[deleted]

Re: Getting my library cards onto my phone the hard way

#117
post #76
post #28

This was a great blogpost, but then ends with: > I will note that I have not yet tested this pass in a real library yet I get this project was mostly for fun, but why not spend the 10 minutes it takes to test the final solution before sharing your work?

I mean, it's ultimately a bunch of pixels representing a barcode to be scanned. As long as it displays correctly, what could go wrong?

In the era before smartphones, barcode readers were highly tuned devices that emitted a specific frequency of light and the sensor was tuned for exactly that. Cellphone screens generally don't emit that frequency of red, and I guess absorb rather than reflect light sent to it, making the screen opaque.

So even if you, the human, can read it doesnt mean the device that authorizes you can.

Re: Getting my library cards onto my phone the hard way

#118
post #28

This was a great blogpost, but then ends with: > I will note that I have not yet tested this pass in a real library yet I get this project was mostly for fun, but why not spend the 10 minutes it takes to test the final solution before sharing your work?

Library might not be open on a Saturday?

This post is from two months ago.

Re: Getting my library cards onto my phone the hard way

#119
Google wallet supports barcodes. While technically you can only set up cards for libraries who have gone through the registration program, in practice they pretty much all work interchangably. Downside is you can't change the display name, so if you have more than one nearby library, it can be confusing.

Re: Getting my library cards onto my phone the hard way

#120
post #114
post #20

Gosh. I just emailed myself a .png of the barcode containing my library card number and open it in, like, the Photos or Gmail app when I'm at the kiosk.

Wallet passes allow you to define locations and timespans where the pass is "relevant". I've used the app MakePass to create a pass with my StarBucks membership code and when I'm nearing my usual shops, my phone will automatically suggest the StarBucks pass on the lock screen. Same with event tickets. I define a location and timespan and when I arrive at that location, my phone will suggest the pass automatically wit…

Doesn't the Starbucks app literally do this for you? It did when I had it 7 years ago.
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