During its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 keynote, Apple introduced a new addition to its suite of payment services: Tap to Cash.
This feature enables users to send and receive Apple Cash by holding two iPhone devices together, eliminating the need to share phone numbers.
Whether paying back a friend for dinner or making a purchase at a garage sale, Apple says Tap to Cash offers a seamless and secure transaction method.
Greater flexibility with Apple Pay
The introduction of Tap to Cash comes alongside a series of enhancements to Apple Pay, aimed at providing users with increased flexibility and choice when checking out online and in-app. Key features include the ability to view and redeem rewards and access instalment loan offerings from eligible credit or debit cards using iPhone and iPad.
These functionalities will be available for any Apple Pay-enabled bank or issuer to integrate within supported markets.
Starting in the US, users will be able to redeem rewards for purchases with Apple Pay, thanks to partnerships with Discover, Synchrony and Fiserv. Additionally, Apple Pay’s instalment feature will roll out in various countries: ANZ in Australia, CaixaBank in Spain, HSBC and Monzo in the UK and Citi, Synchrony and Fiserv issuers in the US.
People also have the option to apply for loans directly through Affirm when checking out with Apple Pay in the US. Plus, they can now use Apple Pay on any third-party web browser and computer by scanning a code on their iPhone to securely complete payments.
Additionally, the Tap to Provision feature lets users add eligible credit or debit cards to Apple Wallet by simply tapping their card to the back of their iPhone. This process simplifies and speeds up the integration of payment methods into Apple’s ecosystem.
AI updates
In addition to the payment service upgrades, Apple announced enhancements to Siri and its operating systems through integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. These improvements aim to elevate user experience across Apple’s devices, making interactions with Siri more intuitive and efficient.
“Recent developments in generative intelligence and large language models offer powerful capabilities that provide the opportunity to take the experience of using Apple products to new heights,” said Tim Cook, Apple chief executive at the opening of its annual WWDC.
But this integration went down like a lead balloon with X owner Elon Musk, who threatened to ban iPhones from his companies for “data security” issues.
“Apple has no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI,” Musk said on his X platform. “They’re selling you down the river.”
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