Apple Pay Cash In iOS 11.2 Beta Suggests iMessage, Card Features Coming

Apple Pay Cash surfaced in software betas on Tuesday, meaning the feature will likely launch to the public in the official releases of iOS 11.2 and watchOS 4.2.

Apple revealed the upcoming Apple Pay features back in June during the Worldwide Developers Conference. The improvements include a person-to-person payment option with Apple Pay on iMessage, as well as the Apple Pay Cash card.

Developers in the U.S. saw the new Apple Pay improvements on the iOS 11.2 beta on Tuesday, according to MacRumors. Some beta testers saw the Apple Pay Cash option appear in the Messages app.

The new features were expected to be released in the last update to iOS 11, iOS 11.1, which was released last week. iOS 11.1 brought dozens of new emoji, updates to Photos and other improvements, but did not bring the Apple Pay features. Early last month, Apple corporate employees in the U.S. reportedly began testing the upcoming features and had then expanded the trials to retail employees, which suggested the improvements would be released in the iOS 11.1 update. With the new features appearing in the iOS 11.2 beta, it’s almost certain that Apple will release them in the upcoming official update.

Apple Pay Cash Features

With Apple Pay Cash, users can use the funds in the card to send money to others through their device, make purchases in stores or online and transfer funds to their bank account. The new improvements also include iMessage’s detection of when someone tells the user money is owed during a conversation. The Message app then shows Apple Pay as a suggestion where it usually predicts the next word the user should type.

To use Apple Pay Cash now, users need to be on the iOS 11.2 public beta and must have at least $10 on the Apple Pay Cash card in Wallet, according to MacRumors. Besides those requirements, users will need an iPhone 6 or later and must have two-factor authentication activated.

Apple Pay Cash is also expected to come with the upcoming Apple Watch update watchOS 4.2. With the update, users will be able to send cash to others with their Watch by going to the Message app to access the Apple Pay option. When tapping the Apple Pay button, users will be able to enter how much money they want to send by using the Digital Crown or on-screen buttons. The person then confirm the transaction by double clicking the Digital Crown.

When users sending money through a credit card, a three percent fee is applied, while transferring cash from a debit card is free.

The release dates for iOS 11.2 and watchOS 4.2 have not been revealed as of yet.

The upcoming Apple Pay features mean users won’t have to rely on other apps like Venmo and Zelle services to send money to other Apple device owners.