U.S. Customs and Border Protection has cleaned up one of the more confusing corners of digital airport travel. As of September 15, 2026, the new Trusted Traveler mobile app has replaced both the Global Entry mobile app and the Trusted Traveler Programs app.

For travelers, the immediate change is simple: two apps have become one. The more interesting part is what sits underneath. CBP is bringing account management, enrollment-related services and, for eligible Global Entry members, mobile arrival processing into a single official app.

That does not change anyone’s Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST membership. It changes the interface travelers use to manage it.

“Your Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, or FAST membership is not being replaced. Only the mobile apps are changing.”

What actually changed

Until this week, CBP split the mobile experience across two products. The Global Entry app focused largely on arrival processing, while the Trusted Traveler Programs app handled applications, membership status, document updates and interview management.

The new Trusted Traveler app brings those functions together. Eligible users can access application or reapplication services for Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST, check membership status, manage profile information, renew membership and schedule enrollment interviews. Global Entry members can also use it to report their arrival into the United States at supported locations.

READ MORE: How Mobile and Biometric Tech Are Redefining the Way We Travel

Existing users do not need to create a new membership or start again. CBP says current credentials continue to work and profile and membership information should transfer to the new app. The two previous apps stopped functioning on September 15.

There is one important limit: “one app” does not mean the whole Trusted Traveler process now happens inside it. CBP says applicants may still be directed to the separate Trusted Traveler Programs website to compare programs and begin or complete enrollment steps.

What travelers should do now?

If you used either previous app, the transition is mostly digital housekeeping:

• Download the new official Trusted Traveler app from Apple’s App Store or Google Play.
• Sign in using your existing Trusted Traveler Programs credentials.
• Check that your membership, profile and travel-document information appear correctly.
• Update anything that has changed, particularly passport or address information.
• If you use Global Entry mobile arrival processing, confirm that it is supported at your arrival location.

Already a Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST member but never used the apps? There is no special migration process. Download the new app and sign in with the credentials linked to your account.

If you are not enrolled, the app can help you start, but it is not a shortcut around eligibility, vetting, or interview requirements.

Why this matters more than an app redesign

At first glance, this is an ordinary consolidation project. A government agency has two apps; the government agency replaces them with one. Fine.

But travel is increasingly dependent on digital identity layers passengers are expected to understand before reaching the airport. Airline app. Boarding pass. Digital wallet. Passport. ESTA. Mobile Passport Control. Global Entry. TSA PreCheck. Airport biometrics. Add an international connection and the “seamless journey” can become a folder full of icons.

READ MORE: Google Wallet Adds Digital ID Pass in Spain, Italy, France, Ireland and Estonia

CBP’s move removes one piece of that clutter.

It also fits a much wider aviation shift. IATA’s One ID program is pushing toward a model in which identity and travel credentials can be verified digitally before passengers arrive at the airport, with biometrics used across multiple touchpoints. IATA says more than 50 airlines, 40 airports and 25 government entities are involved in proofs of concept, pilots or implementations.

The direction is clear: travel technology is moving away from isolated transactions and toward reusable digital identity.

Simpler, but not yet one travel identity

The new app should be genuinely useful for frequent U.S. travelers, particularly Global Entry members who want account management and arrival processing in one place.

It is less relevant for occasional visitors who are not eligible for, or do not need, a Trusted Traveler membership. For some eligible travelers, CBP’s separate Mobile Passport Control app remains an important alternative. MPC is free and lets qualifying travelers submit travel information and photos before completing inspection at supported U.S. entry locations; it does not require Global Entry membership.

READ MORE: EU Entry/Exit System Delays Disrupt Europe’s Airports

That comparison exposes the unfinished part of the U.S. digital-travel experience. CBP may have reduced two Trusted Traveler apps to one, but travelers can still encounter separate apps for Mobile Passport Control, ESTA and other border services. Consolidation has started, but fragmentation has not disappeared.

First-day Google Play reviews also include reports of profile-verification problems and difficulty finding the replacement app. That small sample is not enough to judge the rollout, but it is a reminder to set up the app before travel rather than discovering a login problem at immigration.

Conclusion

The new Trusted Traveler app is the kind of travel-tech improvement that does not look revolutionary but removes a real source of friction. CBP has not reinvented Global Entry. It has made the digital layer around it less awkward.

The bigger test is what happens next.

IATA and other aviation stakeholders are moving toward interoperable digital identity, where travelers should not have to repeatedly prove who they are to every airline, airport and government system. Against that ambition, combining two CBP apps is still a modest step. But it is the right kind of step: fewer interfaces, fewer duplicated functions and a clearer place to manage traveler status.

The next phase should go further. A genuinely modern border experience will not be defined by how many useful travel apps exist. It will be defined by how few of them the passenger needs to think about.