iOS 11.2 update adds Apple Pay Cash, faster wireless charging
Need to pay back a friend? You'll be able to use iMessage for that soon.
Looks like you'll be able to pay friends over iMessage really soon.
Apple's new iOS 11.2 software update went live Saturday, adding Apple Pay Cash and faster wireless charging to supported iPhones .
For anyone with an iPhone 6 or later, the update's Apple Pay Cash feature opens up the ability to send cash to friends and family over iMessage. While I didn't see the feature immediately turned on after updating my own iPhone to iOS 11.2, when it does appear it should work similarly to Paypal's Venmo service.
Anyone with the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus or iPhone X can look forward to faster wireless charging, with the update release specifically noting improvements when using third-party chargers. That's pretty much every Qi wireless charger currently out, as Apple's own AirPower charging mat is planned for a 2018 release.
Other improvements and fixes listed by Apple include:
- Improves video camera stabilization
- Adds support in Podcasts to automatically advance to the next episode from the same show
- Adds support in HealthKit for downhill snow sports distance as a data type
- Fixes an issue that could cause Mail to appear to be checking for new messages even when a download is complete
- Fixes an issue that could cause cleared Mail notifications from Exchange accounts to reappear
- Improves stability in Calendar
- Resolves an issue where Settings could open to a blank screen
- Fixes an issue that could prevent swiping to Today View or Camera from the Lock Screen
- Addresses an issue that could prevent Music controls from displaying on the Lock Screen
- Fixes an issue that could cause app icons to be arranged incorrectly on the Home Screen
- Addresses an issue that could prevent users from deleting recent photos when iCloud storage is exceeded
- Addresses an issue where Find My iPhone sometimes wouldn't display a map
- Fixes an issue in Messages where the keyboard could overlap the most recent message
- Fixes an issue in Calculator where typing numbers rapidly could lead to incorrect results
- Addressed an issue where the keyboard could respond slowly
- Adds support for real-time text (RTT) phone calls for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Improves VoiceOver stability in Messages, Settings, App Store and Music
- Resolves an issue that prevented VoiceOver from announcing incoming Notifications
Does the Mac still matter? Apple execs explain why the MacBook Pro was over four years in the making, and why we should care.
CNET Magazine: Check out a sample of the stories in CNET's newsstand edition.