# Getting started Learn how wallet works, set up your account, and create your first pass template. # How mobile wallet works > Learn how Airship gets wallet passes to your users. A pass is the product of a link generated from a template contained within a mobile wallet project: * A mobile wallet **project** determines the type of pass you can generate and the barcode the pass will use. Your project also contains your Apple Wallet and Google Pay certificates. * **Templates** within the project determine the design of the pass and the fields exposed on the pass. * A **pass link** or an [Adaptive Link](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#adaptive_link) is the URL the user clicks on to view and install the pass. * The **pass** itself is installed on a user's mobile device. You can update the individual pass even after it has been installed. In general, the process of getting a pass to your audience is as follows. **You:** 1. Create your project. 1. Design the pass. This is the *template*. 1. Generate a URL that points to the pass. This is the *pass link*. 1. Distribute the pass link to recipients. **The recipients:** 1. Open the pass link and view the pass. 1. Install the pass to their Apple Wallet or Google Wallet digital wallets. ### Create and Design The first step of creating a pass is creating a project that will store the templates for that pass type. Projects can contain both Apple Wallet and Google Pay templates for a single pass type. You must then design a template for your pass. The template holds the design, field information, and default field values for your pass. If designing passes to support both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet users, you will design two templates, one for each platform. You will then create a link to the pass that users can tap or click to install the pass. [Adaptive links](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/wallet/user-guide/create-links/adaptive-links/) are the preferred pass-creation method. An adaptive link detects the recipient's platform and installs the appropriate pass. Instead of sending an Apple Wallet pass URL to one recipient group and a Google Wallet pass URL to another (or both URLs to all recipients), you can associate the two templates using an Adaptive Link, then distribute that single Adaptive Link to all intended recipients. You can also create platform-specific URLs. ### Distribute While you can use a wallet project to *create* passes, you cannot distribute passes via a wallet project. Since the pass is essentially a URL, you can send the pass however you would send any URL, such email or SMS. See the various [pass distribution methods](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/wallet/user-guide/create-links/distribute/). It's important to remember that you are sending a link to install a pass, not attachment to a message body. You should send a pass over a medium that you expect to reach your audience and persist, in case a user decides to dismiss a notification alert and install the pass at a later time. If you are also an Airship messaging customer, you can include the pass URL with all our message types. Depending on the message type you choose, you can link to the pass: * When the user taps or clicks the notification. * When the user taps a button. * From the body of the message. ### Install A user receives the pass URL, opens the URL, and then has the option to install the pass. The user only needs to install the pass once. They can then open the pass from Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, or an app that relies on the respective Apple and Google APIs. ### Update Content After a user installs a pass, you can seamlessly update the pass as event information, gift card balance, loyalty points, and other information changes, so that your users are always up to date. By updating an already-installed pass, you can ensure that your customers never miss their gates, and that they take advantage of the loyalty programs that bring them back to your business. You can optionally continue to update content and appearance of a pass that has already been installed by a recipient. See: [Publish Tutorial](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/wallet/user-guide/updating-passes/publish/). ## Get Started To get passes into the hands (devices!) of your users, you need: * An Airship **account**. * A **certificate** for Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. * A **project** to contain your certificate, templates, pass URLs, and other settings and information. * A **template** to generate your passes from. # Set up your Mobile Wallet account > Register for an account and set up your certificates. ## Register If you **do not have an Airship account**, [contact us](https://www.airship.com/contact-us/) to request a Mobile Wallet registration link. If you **have an Airship account**, [contact us](https://www.airship.com/contact-us/) to enable Mobile Wallet for your account. ## Certificate setup After your account has been enabled for Mobile Wallet, you may create projects and templates, but you will not be able to generate pass links until you set up Apple or Google certificates. * **Apple** 1. Complete the steps in the Airship Support article [How to make an Apple Pass Type Certificate](https://support.airship.com/hc/en-us/articles/213493683-How-to-make-an-Apple-Wallet-Certificate). You will use the certificate and its password in the next step. 1. Complete the steps in [Add a New Apple Pass Certificate](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/wallet/user-guide/project/manage-apple-pass-certificates/#add-a-new-certificate). * **Google** — Complete the steps in [Manage Google Pass Certificates](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/wallet/user-guide/project/manage-google-pass-certificates/). # Create a wallet project and template > Templates control the appearance of and content in Passes. Projects are the containers for your templates. > **Note:** You must upload your Google Pay certificate before creating a Google Wallet template and/or upload your Apple Wallet certificate before creating an Apple Wallet template. 1. From the Airship dashboard, click **Create project** and select *Mobile Wallet Project*. 1. Enter a project *Name*, then click to select a *Pass Type* and *Barcode Type*. * When you select a Pass Type, the sidebar updates to display a mobile screen preview of the pass, a list of related use cases, and *Platform* compatibility. See the [Mobile Wallet Reference](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/wallet/user-guide/reference/) for detail about each each pass type. * When you select a Barcode Type, the sidebar updates to display that change as well. See [Mobile Wallet Reference: Barcode Types](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/wallet/user-guide/reference/#ws-barcode-types) to help make your choice. 1. Click **Save and Continue**. 1. Select a template type: Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. 1. Enter the template name and description. Name your template with a recognizable name, such as Loyalty Platinum Tier or similar designation. In the *Description* field, provide enough information to differentiate the template from similar ones, e.g., "15% Off Sale." The Template Name appears at the top of the pass when opened on a device. It is also the source of the pass's file name as it appears for installation: ![The template name as it appears on the installed pass](https://www.airship.com/docs/images/template-name-install_hu_13808df2cc7ae591.webp) *The template name as it appears on the installed pass* 1. Click **Start Building** to save the template. Now that you have a template, you are ready to design. Follow the steps in [Design a template](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/wallet/user-guide/design-template/template-design/).