Apple Intelligence fixes Wallet order tracking by scanning emails

Apple is upgrading Wallet’s long-neglected order tracking feature in iOS 26 by using Apple Intelligence to automatically extract shipping details from confirmation emails. The AI-powered enhancement promises to finally make Wallet a viable hub for tracking online purchases, addressing years of limited merchant adoption that has kept the feature largely unused.

What you should know: The new system works by analyzing emails from merchants and delivery carriers to automatically populate order information in the Wallet app.

• Apple Intelligence scans confirmation emails to identify and summarize order tracking details across all purchases, providing full order details and progress notifications in one location.
• The feature requires an iPhone 15 Pro or later since it depends on Apple Intelligence’s AI capabilities.
• Unlike the current system that relies on merchant partnerships, the email-based approach works universally since virtually all online purchases generate confirmation emails.

Why this matters: Order tracking has been one of Wallet’s most underutilized features since launching in iOS 16 due to poor merchant adoption.

• Many users have never successfully tracked an order through Wallet, with the author noting they received their first tracked order only in December 2024 despite years of availability.
• The AI upgrade addresses the fundamental problem that prevented widespread adoption: dependency on external merchant integration.

The bigger picture: This enhancement is part of broader Wallet improvements coming in iOS 26, including upgrades to car keys, boarding passes, and digital passports.

• Apple has historically struggled with Wallet features that require third-party cooperation, similar to the slow rollout of digital IDs across US states and limited automaker support for car keys.
• By leveraging AI to work with existing email infrastructure rather than requiring new merchant partnerships, Apple is taking a more self-reliant approach to feature development.

Early results: Beta testing suggests the email-based tracking system is working as intended, potentially positioning Wallet as a comprehensive purchase management tool for the first time since order tracking launched.