The future of digital payments has finally arrived on the iPhone. Sort of.
Apple’s new peer-to-peer payments system called Apple Pay Cash is finally rolling out to public beta testers today with the release of the public beta for iOS 11.2 beta 2 and watchOS 4.2 beta 2, giving iPhone and iPad users the ability to send money to each other electronically.
Walmart Pay, the mobile payment system launched by the retailer in late 2015, may be on the verge of overtaking Apple Pay usage in the United States, a new report claims.
The service is available for both iOS and Android, across 4,774 Walmart stores, and is currently enrolling “tens of thousands of new users” per day. Two-thirds of them utilize the service for a second time within 21 days, Walmart claims — thereby giving it impressive repeat business.
The iPhone X is Apple’s most exciting iPhone in years. It packs an incredible portrait camera, ditches the home button so it can squeeze and iPhone Plus-sized screen into a regular-sized body, and adds Face ID.
If you want to read all about your new iPhone X, or to see what the fuss is before you purchase one, check out this roundup of all Cult of Mac’s iPhone X coverage.
Using Apple Pay on the iPhone X is a little different than using it on the iPhone 8 and earlier. That’s because Apple Pay on older iPhones uses both the home button, and Touch ID, neither of which feature on the iPhone X. So how do you make an Apple Pay purchase with your new iPhone? It’s easy. Here’s how.
There’s one big conceptual difference between Face ID and its predecessor, Touch ID. With a fingerprint, you have to explicitly touch the home button to confirm an action. When unlocking a password-protected app, or unlocking the iPhone itself, it’s hard to do it unintentionally. But what about buying an app? The old Touch ID way is to tap the buy button, and then use your fingerprint to confirm the purchase. What happens with Face ID? How do you cancel a purchase after tapping buy? Do you look away? Close your eyes?
No. It’s much simpler than that, although much less discoverable than touching a fingerprint scanner.
When the iPhone X arrives November 3, it will bring a new age of security with it.
Apple is ditching fingerprints for facial scanning when it comes to unlocking your device, thanks to the iPhone X’s all-new Face ID feature. Not all Apple fans are excited about this. But if Face ID works as well as Apple says it does, it could be the most innovative iPhone addition in years.
Here’s what you need to know about Face ID.
Developers received the fifth beta build of iOS 11.1 this morning, just three days after Apple released the last batch of updates.
The new iOS 11.1 beta 5 update brings a number of bug fixes and performance improvements to the iPhone and iPad. Apple added a couple of UI tweaks and new features in the previous iOS 11.1 beta build.
Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue has confirmed that the company wants to bring its Apple Pay service to India. Apple also has plans to make big improvements to Maps and Apple Music in what Cue says is one of its most important markets.
Discover is now allowing Apple Pay customers to use their Cashback Bonus on purchases.
You simply continue paying for goods in exactly the same way using your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. Then it takes just two taps to redeem your bonus.
One of the largest banks in the U.S. is embracing Apple Pay and contactless payments by finally adding it to its ATMs across the country.
Wells Fargo revealed today that more than 5,000 of its ATMs have been upgraded recently to support Apple Pay, allowing customers to get cash without having to carry around a physical debit or credit card.
Apple unleashed hundreds of new emoji on developers today with the release of iOS 11.1 beta 2.
The new beta update arrives nearly two weeks after the last beta was made available and comes with a host of new features and bug fixes, including support for Unicode 10 emoji characters.
The long wait for Apple’s peer-to-peer payments feature in iOS 11 may soon be over.
Apple employees have allegedly begun testing the Apple Pay Cash feature internally, according to a new report that reveals details on what the setup process is like as well as how to send money to your contacts.
The Oakland Athletics are testing a new NFC ticketing system that lets Apple users scan their iPhone or Apple Watch on the ticket reader, much like they would to make an Apple Pay purchase.
The system uses the same NFC tech as Apple’s mobile payment system. It is being trialled for a six-game homestand, which started after the launch of iOS 11.
The first big beta update for iOS 11 has already arrived just over a week after Apple’s new software went live for the public.
Developers received a fresh batch of updates this morning, including iOS 11.1 beta 1 which adds a host of changes and bug fixes to Apple’s most significant software release of 2017.
To mark the release of the iPhone 8 and iOS 11, Apple has posted two new videos, reminding customers of just how easy it is to use its Apple Pay mobile payments service.
The videos focus on how to use Touch ID to make payments and how to add new payments cards. Check them out below.
Apple Pay Cash, Apple’s new peer-to-peer payments service set to debut with iOS 11, looks like it will be coming to Europe, alongside the United States.
That’s based on a new trademark application Apple filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) this week.
Barclays is making it even easier for its customers to spend their hard-earned cash.
The latest update to its Mobile Banking app on iOS lets you use Siri to send money to any existing payee, but there is a limit to how much you can send with your voice.
In its stance against hate speech, Apple has disabled Apple Pay support on three websites selling sweaters with Nazi symbols, “White Pride” paraphernalia, and other offensive items.
While Apple hasn’t issued an official statement, it has highlighted guidelines for Apple Pay, forbidding its use on sites which promote hate, intolerance, and violence.
Apple hasn’t always had the easiest time in China, and the latest reminder of this is the launch of a new scheme allowing users of Beijing’s transport system to pay through an app — although it’s not available on Apple Pay, or even iOS.
Instead, the service is only available via Android app, with the likely reason for the iOS lockout reportedly being because Apple sticks to its proprietary Apple Pay system, rather than supporting third-party payment apps.
Services have become such an important revenue stream for Apple in recent years that the company decided to update its official business strategy today reflect its expanding money making machine.
In a filing with the SEC, Apple made a couple of changes to the description of its business. It’s the first time a major change has been made to the strategy since around 2014.
Spotify has extended its lead on Apple Music when it comes to paid subscribers, according to a new report that claims the streaming music service has broken the 60 million threshold.
Apple is set to unveil its latest earnings report on Tuesday, and Wall Street analysts predict it will probably be the most boring earnings call of 2017.
This will likely be Apple’s last public announcement before it unveils the next generation of iPhones. Apple CEO Tim Cook might drop some hints on what to expect, and when, as investors look forward to Apple’s next big blockbuster quarter. As usual, Cult of Mac will be here liveblogging the entire event with all the analysis and wit we can muster.
Watch for these five things during the call:
Apple has updated its official Apple Store app to allow shoppers to authorize Apple ID payments with Touch ID.
Users previously had to enter their Apple ID password to use this payment method; they could only use Touch ID when paying with a credit card connected to Apple Pay.
Apple is running a massive Apple Pay promotion in China this week, in an attempt to grab a larger chunk of the mobile payments market currently dominated by Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings.
The promotion runs from tomorrow through July 24, and offers customers who use Apple Pay discounts of up to 50 percent, plus reward points up to 50x those of regular credit cards. The promotion is the biggest one since Apple Pay debuted in China in February 2016.
You can now pay for App Store, iTunes, and Apple Music purchases using PayPal.
The new payment option is already available in Canada and Mexico, and will make its way to the U.S. and other countries “soon.”