Apple Pay Suica Shinkansen EX Quick Guide
There is a small chance that Suica App could release an English language version before smartEX App arrives on October 30 but I doubt it.
The reasons are varied but boil down to one single difference: smartEX is a simple streamlined app that pulls information off a simple streamlined ticket reservation system while Suica App is the front window of an entire ecosystem.
smartEx App does one thing: Tokaido Sanyo Shinkansen e-ticket reservations/purchases. This includes timetable searches, seat availability/reservations and refunds. It uses your registered account information (name, credit card and IC transit card) but does not allow you to manage any of it. smartEX e-tickets are not downloaded or directly attached/stored on the IC transit card and do not interact with Apple Pay Suica.
Suica App does many things:
- Mobile Suica account management (name, credit card, Suica card, etc.)
- Suica card creation and registration (Apple Pay)
- JR East Shinkansen e-ticket reservations/purchases
- Green Seat purchases on regular trains
- Suica Commuter Pass purchase, renewal and route changes
- Refunds
- Suica Recharge
- Suica Auto Recharge setup
- Suica App e-tickets download directly and are stored on Apple Pay Suica
It delivers these services on Japanese features phones (from 2006), Android [from 2011) and iOS (from 2016). On top of all that Suica App is adding JR Central Tokaido and JR West Sanyo Shinkansen e-ticket purchase options starting October 23. That is a lot of services packed in a single app with many moving database parts on the backend. All of these ecosystem parts have to be in English before Suica App can make its English language debut.
Suica App is like the tiny tip of a huge iceberg. There is a huge mass of Japanese information dating back to the i-mode era lurking underneath the surface that has to be localized and vetted. That alone takes time and resources. But if JR East doesn’t take the time to do it right, their limited support resources would be quickly overwhelmed: imagine if an English language users taps on an option in Suica App and is suddenly faced with a screen full of Japanese. English language support would be flooded with questions.
The easy thing to do would be pruning option menus down to a manageable quick delivery turn around for English localization but I don’t think JR East will take that path. I think JR East wants to have the whole of Suica App in English, even if it takes time. I agree and think taking time to create a quality English language product is the right path to take.
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