Amazon Makes Returns more Accessible
Ryan Christoffel at 9to5 Mac wrote late last week about a notable change to Amazon’s iOS app: return codes can be added to Apple Wallet. As someone who returns things to Amazon fairly often, I feel it’s a subtle yet impactful change for greater accessibility.
“Amazon rolled out support for ‘Add to Apple Wallet’ buttons inside its iOS app over the last few weeks. As part of the return process, instead of the standard in-app return code for drop-off locations to scan, you can now opt to save that code to Apple Wallet,” Christoffel said of Amazon’s recent update. “Having the Amazon return code inside Wallet is nice because it shows all the details you’ll need, plus ensures you can pull up the code at just the right time without being reliant on a solid cellular connection.”
I haven’t noticed the “Add to Wallet” buttons, but I’m going to look out for them now.
My process for obtaining Amazon’s QR codes for returns typically involves three steps:
Search Apple Mail for the return email
Tap the link in said message
Keep my phone open to Amazon so as to keep the code handy at Whole Foods
As you probably can surmise, these steps don’t exactly comprise the most streamlined, accessible workflow. (It also doesn’t help search in the stock Mail app is pretty bad.) By contrast, having the ability to save the Amazon codes is a de-facto accessibility feature insofar as the Wallet app is available when my phone is locked. It removes the need for my 3-step journey to find the needed information and also traverse the equally bad user interface of the Amazon app. Beyond return codes, Christoffel also notes iOS 26 gives the Wallet app the capability to track Amazon orders. A nice addition, to be sure, but I’ll be sticking with using the widget from my preferred package-tracking app in Parcel.
