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iOS 27 Best New Features, From New Siri to AI Photo Editing

by Dave Johnson

From getting Siri to control your iPhone to crazy new photo editing features, here are the top new features of iOS 27.

Quick new iOS 27 features

The updated Timer control

In the Control Center, you’ll find the updated Timer control that has a cool new visualizer. It is so much better to use in iOS 27. You swipe to set the time from anything between 1 minute to 2 hours. It also has a satisfying haptic effect as you swipe, which is nice.

Shortcuts you can describe out loud

Another great iOS 27 feature is in the Shortcuts app, where you can create shortcuts by saying what you want them to do. For example, you can say make a noise to tell me to put my phone on charge when the battery is below 20%. You hit Send and then it’ll make that shortcut for you in a matter of seconds. These used to be hard to make but now they’re easy.

Shake to undo

Let’s say you’ve made a bunch of changes customizing your home screen. If you shake, you can undo that one change. If you shake again, you can undo the previous change. And if you shake again, you can undo the previous change and keep on shaking until you are completely satisfied with all your changes.

Shake to undo also works in other apps. In Notes, for example, you can bring back any deleted text. In Safari, maybe you deleted a tab, you can bring the tab back. Even with Messages, if you deleted something by mistake, you can shake to bring it back. This is useful, especially when it comes to customizing your home screen.

Customization

The Liquid Glass transparency slider

There have been a bunch of updates to customization. In the Appearance settings, under Liquid Glass, there’s now a new slider that makes everything less transparent or more transparent. This means you can now control the transparency of let’s say your app icons or widgets to make things look a lot more visible. Nice.

Minimizing the lock screen clock

The lock screen also had a major update that I love, starting with the clock, where you’ll find a new icon. If you tap the icon, that minimizes the clock and puts it inside the top widget section. So if you want a better view of your wallpaper, now you can. Sweet.

Extend for wallpapers

If you want to set a photo or image of yours that doesn’t fit too well as a background, you can now pinch to zoom out to get the new Extend option. If you tap Extend, your iPhone will extend that image and generate everything around your wallpaper to get that perfect framing. Extend also works with regular photos you want to use, basically any image you might have. You’ve got to admit that is crazy cool.

Image Playground wallpapers

If you don’t have an image, you could instead choose the new Image Playground option. All you do is type in a description of what you want, like desert dunes at midnight, hit Send, and in a couple of seconds, it’ll generate a brand new wallpaper for you. That looks good. You can get some pretty cool results and even take your own photos and generate them into multiple different styles.

The resizable connectivity control

This is super hidden, but in the Control Center, when you go to edit your controls and you resize the connectivity control, it now has a few other sizes. So you get the large original one, a new medium size, the pill-shaped sizes, and the small size you already know.

Full screen home screen widgets

The home screen widgets also got a new size in iOS 27. If you tap and hold down and extend the handle, you can now have full screen widgets. This works with the photo widgets, the weather, notes, reminders, music, and the calendar. Basically all the good ones. And don’t forget, you could stack these giant widgets all into one, because you do get a lot more detail with them.

App updates

Custom passes in Wallet

Three apps got some big changes in iOS 27: Wallet, Weather, and Camera. But Wallet is probably my favorite update, because when you go to add a card now, you can create your own custom pass. So finally we can add membership cards, loyalty cards, tickets, all that jazz. All you have to do is scan the card. Your iPhone then automatically creates the pass for you and you can then customize it.

If you hit the little palette icon, firstly, you can change the background color. There are a few different options to choose from, nothing too crazy. Then there are four different background options to choose from. You can have a bit of fun with it. Then you can also choose a completely custom icon. Mine was a gym pass. I went with a little gym bro. In all the text fields, you can put down exactly what info it is you want.

In iOS 27, there is no need to carry around a stack of cards. You can add them to your iPhone. The crazy part though is Samsung has had this feature for 10 years. So it’s about time, Apple. Thank you.

A more detailed Weather app

The Weather app got way more detailed in iOS 27. There are three new buttons at the top. The first one is Conditions. That shows the temperature and cloud cover. The second is Precipitation. That shows you how likely it is to rain and also how many inches it’ll rain. Then you get the Wind button that shows speed graphs and directions.

The redesigned Camera settings

As for the Camera app, it got a slightly updated design because all your camera settings now live at the top of the camera screen. If you swipe down, you can see all of them, but the important ones are still right at the top, like your flash and resolution.

Siri mode in Camera

The biggest upgrade in iOS 27 has got to be the brand new Siri mode. You’ll notice it’s got a new logo that looks like something you might find on a can of soda. If you take a photo in Siri mode, Siri will give you some information on what it is you took a photo of, like the product’s name, for example. You can then even chat about that product and ask it things like, “where do I buy this?” And it’ll quickly respond with a couple of links, which is cool.

The new photo editing tools

To find the new photo editing tools in iOS 27, all you do is open any photo, tap the Edit button, then tap Tools, and they’re all at the bottom. We’ve got Clean Up, Extend, and Reframe.

Reframe

Reframe does something nuts. It scans your image, then you can pinch to zoom out and swipe either left or right to adjust the angle the image was taken in, which is crazy. Then tap Reframe and it’ll recreate your photo as if it was taken from that angle. It works incredibly well.

Extend in Photos

The Extend option works the exact same way as the wallpaper. You pinch to zoom out, but you can also adjust the aspect ratio. I went with the square, you then tap Extend and, like magic, it fills out the empty areas. That was a lot of extra detail to get right and it did such a good job. That is impressive.

Clean Up

There’s also the Clean Up tool. We have had Clean Up for a while, but it has been updated in iOS 27. All you do is draw over what it is you want to remove and your iPhone will remove that specific thing from the photo. Much better. It even highlights suggestions for you. And if you tap on the highlights, poof, they are gone.

Siri

Probably the craziest new feature on iOS 27 is Siri can now edit photos for you. Wow.

How to open Siri

Straight off the bat, to open Siri in iOS 27, you can either swipe down on the Dynamic Island and start chatting with it in a new interface, or you can press and hold down the side button just like before, or you can use the new Siri app that comes with iOS 27. The Siri app is where you’ll find all your conversations with it.

Switching from Siri to ChatGPT

Essentially it’s like ChatGPT, but for Siri. By default, when you start a new conversation, it’ll use the updated Siri AI model, which is way more advanced than before, but you can also tap the text input field, then tap Ask and change from Siri to ChatGPT. That’s in case you ever wanted to do more complex things like in-depth research, writing, or even coding.

Siri can see your screen

Besides for chatting, Siri can now also see what is on your screen. So you can ask it any questions about what is on your screen, like “summarize this page for me,” and it comes back with “The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed by Apple.” Or “please reply to this message,” and it comes back with “I’ve drafted a reply for you.” Siri will look at your conversation and put a reply together. Whoa.

Siri can act inside your apps

In iOS 27, Siri now works in your photos. This works in a few different ways. For example, you can ask it, “please open the Photos app and make my most recent photo black and white.” Siri will then open the Photos app, open the editing menu, go to the filters and give it a black and white filter. I’m amazed this actually works now.

Or you could say, “Hey Siri, take a photo,” and it comes back with “Photo in three, two, one.” You can also say: “please open Amazon and search for dog toys,” and again, Siri opens up Amazon and searches for that specific thing. This is handy now.

Siri in the keyboard

Siri is now also in the keyboard too. If you get a message from someone, straight away it gives you a suggestion on what to reply with. Nice. Or if you press the Siri icon, you can straight up ask it to write a reply for you. Then give it a couple seconds and boom, you got yourself a reply. There are a ton of new things Siri can do, and I’m impressed.

More new features in Photos

Image search

Inside the Photos app, if you open an image, then swipe up on it, there’s a new image search option, which looks that item up on Google and then gives you a bunch of search results. This is handy for finding things like products.

Star ratings for photos

In iOS 27, you’ll notice a new star icon on the top right hand side of your images. This is for rating your photos from one to five stars. So now you’ll be able to filter your photos out based on what star rating you gave them. This is off by default, but all you do is tap your profile icon, scroll down and turn on Show Ratings Control.

Captions in videos

In videos, there’s now also a new captions button in the play bar. If you tap the captions button, then turn it on, it’ll show you the subtitles for any and every video in your Photos app. What’s even cooler is there are four different subtitle styles to pick from, but unfortunately this doesn’t work for US English for now.

Save Video Frame as Photo

Still in videos, if you ever want to grab a still from a video, you tap the three dots in the top right and you have the new Save Video Frame as Photo option that will extract a literal frame out the video for you. Love it.

Insight buttons

If you open a photo of something like a loyalty card and swipe up, there are new insight buttons, like Add Pass to Wallet. Different buttons show up for different things. So with a poster, you’ll get an Add to Calendar button. For a business card, there’s Add to Contacts along with a couple other ways to directly contact that person. Sweet.

Identity Documents

This is pretty hidden, but back inside the Photos app under Collections, if you scroll down to Utilities, there’s a new option, Identity Documents. This groups all your photos of IDs, passports, and cards into one spot, which is handy.

Connectivity Assist

If you go to Settings, tap Wi-Fi youll see an option called Connectivity Assist. What this does is it makes your iPhone instantly switch from Wi-Fi to data when your Wi-Fi signal drops. So if you’re on a call or anything, it doesn’t get interrupted. Nice.

Separate alarm and system volumes

This setting is something you should turn off. This one is found inside Sounds & Haptics, and by default Alarms and Timers, as well as Alerts and System Sounds, are turned on, but when you turn them off, looky, looky, you can now finally adjust those volumes on their own. So if you want it, you can now set your ringtone to max, your alarms and timers to mid and system sounds to low. I am glad we can finally do this.

The redesigned AirPods settings

In iOS 27, AirPods settings got something brand new too. When you connect a pair of AirPods, then jump into Settings and AirPods settings straight away, you’ll notice that everything now looks different. Compared to the old iOS, everything has now been categorized into its own separate sections.

For example, if you wanted to find the biggest new AirPods feature in iOS 27, all you have to do is go into Audio & Routing. You’ll find the equalizer. Yeah, that’s right. After literally 10 years of having the AirPods, we finally get the equalizer. It’s nothing too complicated. You can adjust your lows, your mids and your highs. This is how I like to have it for some extra bass. So if you want that extra bump in your tunes, then copy this setup.

Shortcuts

My favorite new shortcuts

Here are a few of my favorite shortcuts in iOS 27 that you got to try. Inside the Shortcuts app, all you do now is hit the plus icon and describe what shortcuts you want. For example, “create a shortcut that gives me a summary of the temperature, my phone’s battery, my commute time to home, and add a nice affirmation.” You tap Send. What’s crazy is it does everything for you. You don’t have to know exactly how Shortcuts works anymore.

What I also love is if you don’t like its response or the way it looks, you can go back into the chat section and say something like “stylize this with bullet points and emojis.” Then hit Send, it’ll do its whole AI thing. When you’re done with the shortcuts, add it to your home screen. You can customize the icon as well if you want. But now anytime you press that shortcut, boom, you get a rundown of all that info in a nice stylized form.

Another cool shortcut you can try in iOS 27 is “create a shortcut that automatically finds and delete screenshots older than 10 days.” Again, you hit Send, it’ll do its thing. And now anytime you run that shortcut, it’ll bring up all your screenshots older than 10 days and you can delete them with one tap.

Another one you can try is “create a shortcut that shows me five pictures I took on this day two years ago.” But as cool as shortcuts are, shortcut automations are even cooler.

Shortcut automations

You can say “create an automation where every time I put my phone on charge, it says, oh yeah.” I also like this one: “create an automation that shows me a picture of coffee and an inspirational message every day at 3pm.” Now every time it hits 3pm, I automatically get a sick inspirational message and a pic of coffee. What’s not to love? There is so much more you can do with shortcuts.

Tag: iOS 27
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iOS 27 Public Beta: How to Install It and What’s New

by Moses Johnson

Recently, Apple released the second public beta for iOS 27. This is how to install the beta on your iPhone or iPad for free, and what to expect from it.

If you currently have the developer beta installed on your main device, you might want to consider switching over to the public beta, and I’ll explain why and how to do that.

Installing iOS 27 public beta on iPhone

To install iOS 27 public beta on your iPhone, first go into Safari and navigate to beta.apple.com. Once you get to that page, the iOS 27 public beta shows up. If you go down, there’s a sign up or a sign in button. You most likely already have an Apple account. You want to go to where it says Already a member, tap Sign In, and sign in to your Apple ID.

Then you’re going to see the Beta Software Program Agreement. Scroll down and tap Agree. It’s going to give you a guide for beta software. This is where you’re going to choose iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and so on.

iOS 27 appears along with some of the changes that are coming with it. Look underneath the Get Started section, where there’s a blue link that says Please enroll your iOS device. You want to tap that link. After you’ve done that, it will give you some advice on doing a backup.

Then there’s a spot where it says Turn On Beta Updates. If you tap that blue button, it will open up in Settings where it shows your iOS 27 beta. It will say iOS 27 public beta.

You can also access this by going into Settings, General, Software Updates, and then tapping where it says Beta Updates. That is also where the iOS 27 public beta populates. You want to make sure to tap and select the iOS 27 public beta. Then when you go back, the iOS 27 public beta populates where you can download and install it.

These days, getting the public beta on your device is very simple. There are no profiles. There’s no money exchange. There’s nothing like that. It shows up automatically inside of your Settings.

Back up before you install

Before you download and install iOS 27 beta, you do want to go into your Settings and go up to your accounts, go down to iCloud, and you want to make sure to go into iCloud Backup and make sure you have a backup from right before you install the public beta. Just in case something goes wrong, you want to make sure all your data is up to date in your backups. Make sure you do that, and make sure it says the last successful backup was just now.

What to expect from iOS 27 public beta

There are a lot of things that you need to be aware of with the iOS 27 public beta. The first thing that I have to mention is that this is the most stable beta in recent memory. I’ve covered that quite a few times, but with that being said, there will still be bugs.

This is beta software. This is not a final release. It’s not going to be ready until September for the public. This is just a public beta. You are being a beta tester for Apple.

Keep in mind that with these betas, especially iOS 27, things can and will change. You will expect changes to the icons, the way settings are. Don’t get used to anything at this point in the beta, because it will change at some point in the future.

With that comes the responsibility of reporting the bugs in the Feedback application. You’re agreeing to test the software for Apple in exchange for giving feedback on things that may not be working as they should.

Reporting bugs in the Feedback application

Once you have the iOS 27 public beta on your device, you get the Feedback application. If you don’t see it on your Home Screen, search for Feedback. This is where you will be submitting any of the bugs that you come across. Anytime you run into an issue, you could always take a screenshot of it, and you will attach that to your feedback.

Open the Feedback app, go to New Feedback, go to iOS and iPadOS, and then you will fill out the information and you can attach it there. It will pull up the system diagnosis automatically for you and you will add your attachments for the issue, and you can describe what was going wrong. Sometimes Apple will respond to you as well and tell you thank you, and that they’ve fixed that bug in the next version.

If you go into Recent Activity, this is also where you could see the release notes for the upcoming betas as well. If you’re curious about the specific things that have been fixed, this will cover that information there as well. The release notes are focused on code changes for the most part. Your duty as a beta tester is to report those bugs in the Feedback application.

Issues you might run into on iOS 27 public beta

Once you install iOS 27 beta on your device, you will have different issues like frame rate issues. You might have some crashes. You might notice the performance and stability is not as good as it is on the stable build of iOS 26, for example. Your battery life might not be great. I’ve personally had a great experience with battery life so far on the betas, but again, it is still a beta.

Banking and other applications

One question I get asked all the time — a lot of people don’t install the betas because they’re worried about their applications not working, like their banking applications, their investment applications, things like that. But those seem to be issues of the past. These days, I wouldn’t worry about that too much.

I’ve not run into any application that does not work at this point on the iOS 27 public beta. If you’re worried about that, I would say do not worry about it. Pretty much every banking application that I’ve tried and other people have tried has worked just fine on the iOS 27 betas.

Liquid Glass slider

If you go into the Settings app, you go into Appearance, you go into Liquid Glass, we do have a Liquid Glass slider now where you can adjust and tweak the intensity of Liquid Glass system wide. You now have full control over that.

Whereas before, you just had two options. You could choose less opaque or more opaque. But now you have a slider, which is nice.

Lock screen changes

If you go into an application and you swipe down and you have a subject on your lock screen, there’s a cool, funny effect where the subject populates over top of your content.

When you pull down the lock screen, you’ll also notice the compact time up at the top. That is something you could also change in iOS 27. If you tap on that, you have a new button that says Customize. That allows you to have a compact, clean little clock up there at the top of your lock screen. I really liked that personally.

Siri AI

The headlining feature in iOS 27 is going to be Siri AI, the completely revamped version of Siri that has personal context and on-screen awareness. It can perform in-app actions across multiple applications, and has broad world knowledge. There’s even a standalone application now for Siri. If you go into the Siri application, we have our previous chats. It’s like ChatGPT now in pretty much every way, which is awesome.

With the new Siri, I can do a lot more than I could before. For example, I can ask Siri, “Take a look at my screen and tell me where this Apple Store is located.”

What it’s going to do is take a look at my screen with the new on-screen awareness feature. It shows me that that is the Apple Store in Aventura, Miami, which is accurate. So I was able to look at that screen with no context, no details of where I was, and it was able to pinpoint where that was. It shows me the map, I can call directions, all of that, which is cool.

You can also swipe down once you get something in Siri and you can continue in that conversation and go back and forth with Siri in terms of having a conversation. Like I mentioned, Siri also has access to your messages, your contacts, your emails, everything. You could ask questions and it will go into those applications and pull that information for you.

Creating shortcuts with natural language

You can also now create shortcuts using natural language. If you open the Shortcuts app and go to create a new shortcut, you can type in exactly what you want and it will create that shortcut for you. You can say, “make a GIF from a video,” and it will do what’s necessary to create that shortcut. This is a very simple one, but you can get a lot more advanced as well.

It could also build onto that shortcut. It will do that, and you can press play and it will run to see if it’s what you like. You could also tap Edit and you can tweak exactly what’s going on with that shortcut in the builder, or you could go back and continue to talk in natural language to describe the changes and it will go ahead and keep changing that shortcut for you without you having to build the shortcut yourself. You can do it with your words.

Create a Pass in Wallet

Easily one of my favorite iOS 27 features that has become very useful already is the fact that you can now create passes inside the Wallet application. If you open the Wallet app and then go to the plus, at the bottom we have Create a Pass. This allows you to make a custom pass for tickets, memberships, and more. When you do that, you would scan the QR code. If you have it on your phone or take a screenshot, you could pull a screenshot from your Photos and you could do things like add your gym membership to your Apple Wallet.

Every time I go into Planet Fitness, now my gym, I’m able to double click my side button to pull up my Wallet and I scan my membership without having to go all the way into the application and log in, pull up my card. There’s something like five buttons, and about 20 seconds at least that I save every single time I go, because this is now saved into my Wallet. You could do that for anything that’s not previously supported with Apple Wallet, which is convenient.

Extend and Reframe in Photos

In Photos, if you go to Tools, we have Clean Up along with Extend and Reframe. Extend and Reframe are cool because this will allow you to extend the image and make it larger.

You could also reframe. If you want to change the direction or the angle of the photo, you can manipulate it well. You can move it and change the angle at which that photo is taken. It’s neat. It works well.

Clean Up

The Clean Up feature is much better now, because it works using generative AI. For example, if I take a photo and want to hide my hand, it will recreate the shirt behind it. Whereas before it would just leave a black mark. It wouldn’t recreate what was behind where you’re trying to clean up. Now it will do that since it’s using generative AI and not just filling in.

You also have different options. You could choose either Fast or High Quality. High Quality is going to look the best.

Developer beta versus public beta

I do also want to answer a few questions that I get all the time when it comes to iOS beta. The first one is what is the difference in the developer beta and the public beta, and which one should I install? First off, the public beta and the developer beta are typically the exact same. Just one comes after the other.

The developer beta typically comes first and the public beta is released hours or days after the release of the developer beta, but they are typically the exact same. They will have the same build number. It’s just the public beta comes out later. You might be wondering: why does it come out later? It’s because that way you will avoid any potential major issues that might break the software that the developers might’ve had to experience.

The developer beta is a lot more risky because Apple, they’re going to have time to fix it by the time the public beta gets released. But if you install the developer beta and it breaks, you were the guinea pig for that. That’s why I always recommend for most people on their main device to install the public beta instead of the developer beta, especially after the public beta comes out, because a lot of the main features have already been released.

Should you switch from the developer beta?

If it’s your main device, if you only have one device, I would personally switch over from the developer beta to the public beta, because you’re going to avoid some of those more major bugs that could be introduced in the developer beta. Plus, most of the big new features were already added. You’re not going to get as much FOMO as maybe you had for the first couple of betas.

But with that being said, if you are a seasoned beta tester, if you’ve beta tested for years before, you already know what to expect. You know the issues to expect, you know how to navigate those issues. Then sure, stay on the developer beta. There’s no reason to switch over to the public beta, especially if you are a tech nerd like me and you really like having everything as soon as it comes out.

Just know that public betas are well known and well documented for being less risky since they get released afterwards. It gives Apple time to fix the things that might’ve gone wrong in the developer beta.

How to switch

If you do ever want to switch from the developer beta to the public beta, it’s very simple. You go into your Software Updates screen and go into Beta Updates. Then from there, the iOS 27 developer beta and the iOS 27 public beta populate. All you want to do is switch from one to the other. You will select iOS 27 public beta instead of developer beta. Then when you go back, it will start populating the public betas from here on out.

You could always switch back and forth as well. It’s not like something you change one time and you can’t change it again. You could always change back and forth if you would like to.

That is everything you need to know about the iOS 27 public beta. It’s pretty straightforward. It’s pretty simple, but I do want to explain it because there are always new people joining the iOS beta scene. I need to let you know what to expect from it, and the fundamentals of beta testing on iOS.

Tag: iOS 27 beta
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Does Walmart Take Apple Pay?

by GeeksModo Staff

Walmart has more than 10,800 stores and clubs worldwide. It is the world’s largest retailer. As of now, Walmart stores do not accept Apple Pay at in-store checkouts. Walmart accepts cards from Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. A lot of major retailers, stores, restaurants, and shops accept Apple Pay, but unfortunately, Walmart is not one of them.

It seems that Walmart does not accept Apple Pay because they want people to use their own mobile payment system, Walmart Pay. This means that Walmart does not also accept Google Wallet and Samsung Pay. It further seems that, for now, Walmart is committed to its own Walmart Pay platform, which is a QR code-based system designed exclusively for Walmart shoppers.

The only mobile payment that Walmart takes is Walmart Pay. You can, however, use Walmart Pay with your iPhone. Here is how:

Using your iPhone to make purchases at Walmart

  1. Walmart Pay is a feature in the Walmart app. Download the Walmart app. Open the App Store app on your iPhone and then tap the Search icon and find the Walmart app and tap Get and download it.
  2. Open the Walmart app on your iPhone.
  3. Go to Services > Walmart Pay.
  4. Tap Set Up Walmart Pay.
  5. And follow the onscreen instructions and register your card. And your Walmart Pay is ready to use when you go to your Walmart store next time.
  6. To use the app, you need to scan a QR code at the register.

Furthermore, it seems that Walmart has no plans to accept Apple Pay.

You can use your Apple Card at Walmart.

Apple Pay is Apple’s payment service that lets you use your iPhone or Apple Watch to make purchases.

Finding Apple Pay places

Do you avoid stores that do not accept Apple Pay? Do you want to know which stores take Apple Pay before you go? Then there is an easy want to do that. Here is how:

  1. On your iOS or iPadOS device, open Apple Maps.
  2. Find the place you want to go.
  3. Tap the result you want to check. An info card will be displayed.
  4. Scroll down and find the “Useful to Know” section.
  5. If the place takes Apple Pay, it will say “Accepts Apple Pay”.

Costco, one of the world’s largest retailers, accepts Apple Pay.

In conclusion, Apple Pay is not accepted at all Walmart locations. How long will Walmart refuse Apple Pay? We do not know. But we know that Walmart may change this in the future. Because this policy does not attract the tech-savvy customers. We will update this article if Walmart changes this.

Apple Pay launched in October 2014.

Tag: Apple Pay
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Is Apple Pay Safe? Here’s The Truth!

by GeeksModo Staff

There’s nothing quite like the sinking feeling when you’re standing at a register, the line behind you growing longer by the second, frantically patting your pockets only to realize—you left your wallet at home. It’s in these moments that digital payment systems like Apple Pay feel like nothing short of magic. Just tap your phone and you’re on your way! But wait…Is it safe to use Apple Pay?

If you’ve found yourself wondering about the safety of Apple Pay while hovering your iPhone over a payment terminal, you’re not alone. With digital payments becoming as common as carrying cash once was, it’s worth taking a closer look at what happens when you use Apple Pay and whether your financial information remains secure in the process.

What Exactly Is Apple Pay?

Apple Pay is a mobile payment and digital wallet service created by Apple. It allows users to make payments using their Apple devices—iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads, and even Macs for online shopping. Launched in 2014, it has since expanded to dozens of countries and regions worldwide.

Think of Apple Pay as a digital version of your physical wallet, minus the bulk and the risk of dropping your credit cards between couch cushions. It stores your credit, debit, and prepaid card information, allowing you to make contactless payments, in-app purchases, and web transactions without physically having your cards present.

How Does Apple Pay Work?

The magic behind Apple Pay isn’t really magic at all—it’s a combination of several sophisticated technologies working together:

Near Field Communication (NFC) enables the contactless communication between your device and the payment terminal when you’re checking out at a store. This is that little chip in your phone that activates when you hold it near a payment reader.

Secure Element is a dedicated chip in your Apple device that stores and protects your payment information. It’s isolated from the rest of your device’s system, which means even if your phone gets hacked, this part remains secure.

Tokenization replaces your actual card details with a randomly generated number (token) that’s useless to potential thieves. Your real card number is never stored on your device or shared with merchants.

When you hold your iPhone near a payment terminal, the Secure Element communicates with the terminal via NFC. The transaction is authenticated using Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode, and payment is completed without ever revealing your actual card number.

Honestly, it’s a bit like having a secret handshake with your bank that changes every time you use it.

The Technical Side: What Happens When You Add a Card

When you add a credit, debit, or prepaid card to Apple Pay, there’s a fascinating dance of encryption happening behind the scenes:

  1. The information you enter (or scan with your camera) is immediately encrypted on your device. If you use your camera to capture card details, that information is never saved to your device or photo library.

  2. This encrypted data travels to Apple’s servers, where it’s briefly decrypted so Apple can determine your card’s payment network.

  3. Apple then re-encrypts your data with a special key that only your payment network or card issuer can unlock.

  4. Here’s something most people don’t know—Apple may actually look at certain device settings and usage patterns as part of this process. Things like how often your device is in motion and your approximate weekly call volume might be analyzed to determine your eligibility for Apple Pay and prevent fraud. This helps ensure that it’s really you setting up the card.

  5. After your card is approved, your bank creates a device-specific "Device Account Number" that replaces your actual card number. This number is stored in the Secure Element chip, not in iOS or on Apple’s servers, and it’s never backed up to iCloud.

Unlike your actual card number, this Device Account Number can’t be used for transactions over the phone or with magnetic stripe readers—it only works with Apple Pay. And Apple only stores a portion of this number along with a portion of your actual card number—never the whole thing.

The Big Question: How Safe Is Apple Pay?

Let’s cut to the chase: Apple Pay is generally considered more secure than using a physical credit card. Here’s why:

Your Card Numbers Stay Hidden

When you use a regular credit card, your card number is exposed to the merchant and potentially to anyone who might be watching or who has access to the merchant’s systems later on. With Apple Pay, merchants never see your credit card number.

Instead, they receive what’s called a Device Account Number—a unique, encrypted code specific to your device and that particular card. This means if a store’s payment system gets hacked (which happens more often than we’d like to think), your actual card details aren’t compromised.

Biometric Authentication Adds a Layer of Protection

Using Apple Pay requires authentication through Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode. This means even if someone steals your phone, they can’t use Apple Pay without your unique biometric data or passcode. Try doing that with a stolen physical credit card!

Remember those videos of thieves going on spending sprees with stolen cards? That’s much harder to do with Apple Pay.

Transactions Are Encrypted

All the data transmitted during an Apple Pay transaction is encrypted and secure. The payment information isn’t stored in clear text anywhere—not on your device, not in Apple’s servers, and not with the merchants.

Each transaction uses a unique, one-time dynamic security code, which serves as an additional security layer. Your bank or card issuer can verify this code to ensure the transaction is coming from your device and hasn’t been intercepted or altered.

This encryption process scrambles your data so that even if someone intercepts it, they can’t read or use it. It’s like sending a letter in a language only your bank understands.

Limited Transaction Data Stored by Apple

While Apple doesn’t keep detailed records of your purchases, they do collect some anonymous transaction information, including:

  • Approximate purchase amounts
  • App developer and app name (for in-app purchases)
  • Approximate date and time
  • Whether the transaction completed successfully

Apple uses this data to improve Apple Pay and other services, but importantly, this information isn’t linked to you personally. Your detailed transaction history is only available through your bank or credit card company’s app or website, just like with physical card purchases.

How iCloud Fits Into the Picture

Your Apple Pay data doesn’t exist in isolation—some of it interacts with iCloud, Apple’s cloud storage service. Here’s how that works:

iCloud securely stores your Wallet data—including passes and transaction information—by encrypting it during transmission over the internet and keeping it encrypted on Apple’s servers. This means your payment information stays protected even when it’s synced across your devices.

If you’re concerned about this, you can actually disable iCloud support for Wallet. Just go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud, tap "See All" next to "Saved to iCloud," and turn off Wallet. This gives you more control over where your payment information is stored.

Web and App Payments: Extra Security Measures

When you use Apple Pay to make purchases within apps or on websites, there are additional security precautions in place:

Domain Verification for Websites

Before a website can offer Apple Pay as a payment option, Apple requires it to verify its domain. This prevents fraudulent sites from impersonating legitimate retailers and stealing your payment information.

You can manage which apps and websites can check if you have Apple Pay enabled in Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced on your iPhone or iPad, or in Safari settings on your Mac.

Developer-Specific Encryption

When you make a payment in an app or on a website, Apple re-encrypts your transaction information with a key specific to that developer or website before sending it along. This ensures that only the legitimate merchant can access your payment details.

Apple also requires all apps and websites that use Apple Pay to have a privacy policy that governs how they use your data. This adds another layer of accountability.

But Nothing’s Perfect: Potential Vulnerabilities

Despite these robust security measures, no system is completely foolproof. Here are some potential vulnerabilities to be aware of:

Social Engineering Attacks

The weakest link in any security system is often the human element. Scammers might try to trick you into adding their fraudulent cards to your Apple Pay wallet or sharing verification codes.

For example, someone might call pretending to be from your bank, claiming there’s a problem with your Apple Pay setup and asking for verification details. Your bank will never do this—they don’t need to ask you for information they already have.

Device Security Matters

If your iPhone or Apple Watch isn’t secure, neither is your Apple Pay. Using weak passcodes, sharing your passcode with others, or not using Face ID or Touch ID weakens the security of Apple Pay.

Think about it—if someone can easily unlock your phone, they potentially have access to your wallet too. It’s like leaving your front door wide open and expecting thieves to respect your privacy.

Lost or Stolen Devices

If your device is lost or stolen, there’s a window of vulnerability until you take action. While biometric authentication provides protection, a determined thief might find ways around it, especially if you use a simple passcode.

That’s why Apple created Find My iPhone, which allows you to remotely lock or wipe your device if it falls into the wrong hands. You can also remove cards from Apple Pay via iCloud.

If you’ve enabled Find My, you have another option: instead of immediately canceling all your cards, you can put your device in Lost Mode, which temporarily suspends Apple Pay. If you find your device, you can simply reenable Apple Pay without the hassle of setting up all your cards again.

Apple Cash: Sending Money to Friends and Family

In the U.S., Apple Pay includes a feature called Apple Cash that lets you send and receive money with friends and family through Messages or Wallet. This service works a bit differently than regular Apple Pay transactions.

Here’s what you might not know: Apple Cash isn’t actually operated directly by Apple. It’s a service provided by Green Dot Bank (member FDIC), with a company called Apple Payments Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple) acting as an intermediary.

This structure exists specifically to protect your privacy. Your Apple Cash account information—including your name, address, balance, and transaction details—is stored separately by Apple Payments Inc. in a way that the rest of Apple doesn’t have access to.

When you set up Apple Cash, you might be asked to provide identity verification information, which could include your name, address, Social Security number, or date of birth. While your name and address are securely stored by both the partner bank and Apple Payments Inc., any additional identification information can’t be read by Apple.

It’s worth noting that Apple, Apple Payments Inc., and Green Dot Bank may use information about how frequently you communicate with people you send money to—but importantly, not the content of those communications—to help prevent fraud.

Express Transit: Pay-and-Go for Public Transport

For commuters, Apple Pay offers a nifty feature called Express Transit. When you designate a transit card as an Express Transit card, you can simply tap and go without needing to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode first.

This makes perfect sense for public transit, where speed is essential—you don’t want to be the person holding up the line while your face is scanned! You can manage Express Transit settings on your iPhone in Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay, or on your Apple Watch through the Apple Watch app.

If you lose your device, you can temporarily suspend transit cards by putting your device in Lost Mode through Find My. Just remember that this only works if your device is online—if it’s offline, you’ll need to contact your transit card issuer directly.

Real-World Testing: Has Apple Pay Been Hacked?

You might be wondering if Apple Pay has faced any major security breaches since its launch. The answer is: not directly.

While there have been reports of fraudulent transactions occurring through Apple Pay, these almost always stem from the underlying credit cards being compromised before they were added to Apple Pay, or from social engineering scams rather than technical vulnerabilities in the Apple Pay system itself.

In the early days of Apple Pay, there was an issue with banks not properly verifying cards before they were added to Apple Pay wallets. This allowed fraudsters to add stolen card details to their own Apple Pay accounts. However, banks quickly improved their verification processes to address this loophole.

Practical Tips to Keep Your Apple Pay Extra Secure

Security is a shared responsibility. Here are some practical steps you can take to maximize the safety of your Apple Pay experience:

Strengthen Your Device Security

  • Use a strong, unique passcode for your device—not something easily guessed like "1234" or your birth year
  • Enable Face ID or Touch ID for faster, more secure authentication
  • Keep your device’s operating system updated to benefit from the latest security patches
  • Enable Find My iPhone so you can locate, lock, or wipe your device if it’s lost or stolen

Be Vigilant About Card Addition

  • When adding cards to Apple Pay, check that the verification process includes steps that would be difficult for a fraudster to complete
  • Verify that the card appears correctly in your Apple Wallet after adding it
  • Only add cards from banks and financial institutions you trust

Monitor Your Accounts

  • Regularly check your credit card and bank statements for unauthorized transactions
  • Set up transaction alerts with your bank so you’re notified immediately of any activity
  • Report suspicious transactions to your bank immediately

Watch Out for Phishing Attempts

  • Be skeptical of emails, texts, or calls asking for Apple ID, banking information, or verification codes
  • Remember that Apple and your bank will never call and ask for your passcode or full card details
  • When in doubt, hang up and call the institution directly using the number on their official website

Consider Your iCloud Settings

  • Decide whether you want your Wallet data backed up to iCloud
  • If you’re particularly security-conscious, you might prefer to disable iCloud for Wallet

Apple Pay vs. Other Payment Methods: A Safety Comparison

How does Apple Pay stack up against other payment methods when it comes to security? Let’s compare:

Physical Credit Cards

Traditional magnetic stripe cards are the least secure option, as the data can be easily skimmed and replicated.

Chip cards (EMV) are more secure than magnetic stripe, but still display your card number, which can be copied.

Apple Pay is generally more secure than both these options because it doesn’t expose your card number and requires biometric authentication.

Other Digital Wallets

Google Pay and Samsung Pay operate on similar security principles to Apple Pay, including tokenization and device-specific security.

PayPal offers strong security for online transactions but doesn’t have the same biometric authentication requirements for in-person payments that Apple Pay has.

The main security advantage Apple has over some competitors is its tightly controlled ecosystem and the Secure Enclave hardware that exists in all its devices.

Cash

Cash is anonymous and can’t be hacked, but it can be stolen with no recourse. It also doesn’t provide purchase protection or rewards.

Apple Pay offers the convenience of digital payments with security that in many ways exceeds that of physical cash.

Special Considerations for Different Types of Transactions

The security considerations for Apple Pay vary slightly depending on how you’re using it:

In-Store Payments

These are generally the most secure form of Apple Pay transactions because they require your physical device and your biometric authentication or passcode. The tokenization process means your card details are never shared with the store.

In-App Purchases

When you use Apple Pay within apps, you get the same security benefits—tokenization and biometric authentication—plus the convenience of not having to enter your credit card details for each purchase. This helps protect you from app developers who might otherwise store your card information on their potentially less-secure servers.

Web Transactions

Using Apple Pay on websites offers similar protections to in-app purchases. Instead of filling out lengthy payment forms and trusting various websites with your card details, you can use Apple Pay with just a touch or glance.

Remember that websites must verify their domain with Apple before they can offer Apple Pay, adding another layer of protection against fraudulent sites.

Person-to-Person Payments

Apple Cash (Apple’s person-to-person payment service that works with Apple Pay) uses the same security infrastructure as other Apple Pay transactions, making it more secure than many other P2P payment options.

The Future of Apple Pay Security

As technology evolves, so do security threats and protections. Here’s what we might expect for the future of Apple Pay security:

Continuous Improvement

Apple regularly updates its security protocols and features. With each iOS update, security enhancements are implemented to address emerging threats.

Expanded Biometric Capabilities

As biometric technology advances, we might see new forms of authentication integrated into Apple Pay, potentially including behavioral biometrics that analyze how you interact with your device.

Blockchain Integration?

While Apple hasn’t announced plans to integrate blockchain technology with Apple Pay, the decentralized and immutable nature of blockchain could potentially provide additional security layers in the future.

When Should You Think Twice About Using Apple Pay?

Despite its strong security features, there are situations where you might want to be extra cautious with Apple Pay:

Unfamiliar Merchants

If you’re dealing with a merchant you don’t trust, using Apple Pay still provides more protection than a physical card, but you might want to use a credit card (rather than a debit card) through Apple Pay for additional purchase protections.

When Traveling Internationally

Check whether Apple Pay is widely accepted in your destination country. In some places, you might still need physical cards or local payment methods as backups.

If Your Device Is Acting Strangely

If your iPhone or Apple Watch is behaving unusually—crashing frequently, running hot, or showing other signs of potential malware—it might be wise to avoid using Apple Pay until you’ve resolved the issues.

The Bottom Line: Is Apple Pay Worth Using?

Taking everything into account, Apple Pay stands as one of the most secure payment methods available today. Its combination of hardware security, tokenization, biometric authentication, and encryption provides multiple layers of protection that significantly reduce the risk of fraud compared to traditional payment methods.

The convenience factor is undeniable—no more fumbling for cards or carrying a bulky wallet. But perhaps the most compelling reason to use Apple Pay is the peace of mind knowing that your financial information remains protected even as it becomes easier to spend money.

Like any technology, using it wisely requires understanding both its benefits and limitations. By following the security best practices outlined in this article and staying alert to potential scams, you can enjoy the convenience of Apple Pay while minimizing the associated risks.

So next time you’re standing at that register, phone in hand, you can tap with confidence knowing exactly what’s happening behind the scenes to keep your information safe.

Frequently Asked Questions About Apple Pay Security

Can Apple Pay be hacked?

While no system is 100% secure, Apple Pay has multiple security layers that make it extremely difficult to hack. Most security issues have come from social engineering rather than technical vulnerabilities.

What happens if someone steals my phone?

They won’t be able to use Apple Pay without your Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode. You can also remotely disable Apple Pay by putting your device in Lost Mode through Find My iPhone.

Do I need an internet connection to use Apple Pay?

For in-store purchases, no. Apple Pay works without an internet connection once your cards are set up. However, you’ll need an internet connection for initial setup and for some transaction types.

Can I use Apple Pay if my physical card is canceled?

If your physical card is canceled and replaced, you’ll typically need to remove the old card from Apple Pay and add the new one. Some banks automatically update this information.

Is there a transaction limit for Apple Pay?

This depends on the merchant and your bank rather than Apple Pay itself. Some retailers or banks may impose their own limits on contactless transactions.

How can I disable Apple Pay if I don’t want to use it?

You can remove individual cards from your Apple Wallet at any time. If you want to completely disable Apple Pay functionality, you can remove all cards from your wallet or manage this through your Apple Account page.

Remember that financial security isn’t just about the technology you use but also about staying informed and vigilant. By understanding how Apple Pay works and taking basic precautions, you can enjoy both convenience and confidence in your digital payment experience.

Tag: Apple Pay
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