Skip to main content

Apple Pay Cash is officially available for all iPhone users, thanks to iOS update

iMessage
Image used with permission by copyright holder
After iPhone users experienced repeated crashes to their devices, Apple released iOS 11.2 with a fix for the bug. Included within the update was Apple Pay Cash, but the feature wasn’t activated for most users. As of Tuesday, the new feature that allows you to send and receive payments through iMessage is officially available for all iPhone users.

Following the release of Apple Pay Cash, Discover announced its official partnership with Apple. Transactions made with the payment service are facilitated specifically through the Discover Network.

Recommended Videos

Apple joins a host of other services including Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, and Google Wallet in the peer-to-peer payment industry. It has also partnered with prepaid debit giant Green Dot to offer free payments between iPhone users. Even though Apple is coming late to the game with Apple Pay Cash, the company is trying to make the product a standout in terms of convenience and ease of use.

While Apple Pay Cash joins a number of other payment services, there are several big differences that make the service unique. The biggest is that the service is only available on the iPhone. Users on iPhones who want to make payments to Android users will have to use an alternate service to process peer-to-peer payments.

One of the most interesting features of Apple Pay Cash is the ability to send and receive funds in real time. While Zelle began offering almost instant transfers earlier this year, it involves a lengthy verification process with your bank upon your first use. Apple chose to go an alternate route, using the credit or debit card in your Apple Wallet to fund transfers.

While Apple Pay Cash does allow for immediate availability of funds at any location where Apple Pay is accepted, transferring funds to your bank account involves a little more legwork. You’ll have to add your banking information to Wallet when you begin using the service. Once your bank is verified, you can transfer funds to your bank account, which will take two to three days. If you’re looking to have funds deposited into your bank on the same day, Zelle still seems to be the best option.

Update: Apple Pay Cash is officially available on iOS 11.2

Steven Winkelman
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven writes about technology, social practice, and books. At Digital Trends, he focuses primarily on mobile and wearables…
The iPhone 17 Pro Max may slim down this particular feature
The Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The iPhone's Dynamic Island is expected to get even smaller on the iPhone 17 series, according to technology analyst Jeff Pu (via MacRumors).

According to Pu, in a research note with investment bank Haitong International, the iPhone 17 Pro Max will offer a “metalens” for Face ID. Because of this, the Dynamic Island will be “much narrowed.”

Read more
The iOS 18.2 beta, with new Apple Intelligence features, is here
iOS 18.2 update notification on an iPhone.

Apple has just rolled out the first beta of iOS 18.2, merely a day after seeding a release candidate version of the iOS 18.1 build. The latest beta brings some of the biggest Apple Intelligence features to the table.

The first one is ChatGPT integration. When users bring up Siri and ask it a question the assistant can’t handle, the request will be offloaded to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. “Users are asked before any questions are sent to ChatGPT, along with any documents or photos, and Siri then presents the answer directly,” Apple says.

Read more
The iPhone 17 Pro cameras could get a huge upgrade
iPhone 16 Pro Max in Desert Titanium.

The iPhone 16 is barely out but we've already heard quite a few rumors about the iPhone 17. For one, we know it's going to lack an iconic model. It's highly likely Apple is discontinuing the Plus series, instead opting for a base iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max. There's also a new, debut phone in the works that's been called the iPhone 17 Air or the Slim — you get no prizes for guessing what its selling point will be.

There's potentially a bigger upgrade coming, though. The iPhone 17 is rumored to have a much higher-resolution front camera than the iPhone 16 does. Currently, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max both have a 12-megapixel front camera, but the iPhone 17 Pro might potentially double that with a 24MP front camera, according to tipster Jeff Pu and GSMArena.

Read more