Apple Promotes New Apple Pay UK Bank Account Balance Feature
Apple today highlighted the ability in iOS 17.1 for UK users to connect their credit and debit cards in Apple Wallet and easily access information like account balance, spending history, and more.
Users can view their up-to-date bank card balance, payments, deposits, and withdrawals in Wallet and when they're checking out with Apple Pay online or in-apps. Apple says the new feature "empowers users to make more informed purchases, increases their confidence when making a transaction, and allows them to simply view frequent information so that they have more control when it comes to their finances."
From Apple's press release:
"By enabling users to conveniently access their most useful account information within Wallet and at the time of their purchase, they can make informed financial decisions and better understand and manage their spend," said Jennifer Bailey, Apple's vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. "We look forward to working with U.K. partners under the Open Banking initiative to help users better their financial health, and provide more ways in which banks can deepen their relationships with customers."
Apple added the transaction and card balance functionality to the Wallet app in October's iOS 17.1 update as part of its Connected Cards feature, and several banks have since come on board, including Barclays, Barclaycard, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds, M&S Bank, Monzo Bank, NatWest Bank, and Royal Bank of Scotland.
UK banks support the Open Banking API to integrate with the Wallet app, which has made the feature widely available to UK users, while the Connected Cards rollout in the United States has lagged behind.
Popular Stories
2024 is just a few days away, and there are many iOS 17 and iOS 18 features that are expected to launch throughout the year. Below, we have recapped new iOS features expected in 2024, including Stolen Device Protection, collaborative Apple Music playlists, AirPlay on hotel room TVs, app sideloading in the EU, next-generation CarPlay, roadside assistance via satellite outside of the U.S., RCS ...
Apple released the first beta of iOS 17.3 earlier this month, and the upcoming software update includes two new features so far. iOS 17.3 will likely be released in January like iOS 16.3 and iOS 15.3 were, but February is also a possibility if testing is prolonged. Below, we provide additional details about the new features in iOS 17.3 so far. Stolen Device Protection Earlier this...
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models concurrently, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
Inverse's Raymond Wong today published an in-depth overview of Apple's increasing push towards high-end gaming on the Mac. The story includes commentary from Apple marketing managers Gordon Keppel and Leland Martin. One of the biggest reasons that gaming has improved on the Mac in recent years is the switch from Intel processors to Apple silicon, resulting in MacBooks providing...
Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 are back in some of Apple's retail stores in the United States today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Select stores will have availability today, while all stores will have the Apple Watch models back in stock by December 30. Online sales of the devices are set to resume tomorrow by 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Apple is able to begin selling ...
Apple's iPhones include several headline camera features that are worth using, such as Portrait Mode and Photographic Styles. But if all you want to use is the standard photo mode, there are still several tools and settings that can improve the composition of your pictures and help you capture the perfect shot using more traditional techniques. Whether you are the owner of a new iPhone or a...
The ban on imports of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models has today been temporarily paused, meaning that the devices can now go back on sale for a short while longer in the United States. Apple filed an emergency request to the United States Court of Appeals following President Biden's decision to decline a veto on the sales ban, allowing it to take effect earlier this week. ...
Top Rated Comments
With this wallet feature I can see immediately my balance and my transactions. I think is really really good.
Curious what is keeping them from getting it done.
Open Banking connections can't make transactions, only pull in details of existing transactions and balances,
That's what it's for.
It's how all the credit agencies work in the UK, and in my case makes my accounting far easier by allowing me to tie my company accounts to my bank accounts (Quickbooks).
As with everything else governed by the EUs Revised Payment Service Directive (PSD2), which has was adopted into UK law a part of the Brexit transition, open banking requires Secure Customer Authentication for every Third-Party Payment transaction. The only exceptions are VRPs, and those are currently only mandated for sweeping.
Which is to say that you should need to go into your bank's app to authorize any payment made through another app or service with the only exception being when transferring money between different accounts you personally own.
It is expected Virtual Recurring Payments will replace both direct debits and having services save your card details for taking payments. But even then you will still need you to first set up the mandate, which requires SCA, so it is similar to direct debits but with more security, flexibility, and control. The result is any businesses, services, and apps you allow to initiate payments only need a token rather than account details, making it more secure, and you can cancel the token at any time.
With VRPs the responsibility for authentication is delegated to the third party Payment Initiation Service Provider. So you will not need to switch apps to approve transactions that are with your chosen limits. But any such service has to be regulated by the FCA and you can claim fraudulent payments be refunded.
So in this way it is no different to using Apple Pay, where you do not have to approve payments through your bank's app as Apple takes on the authentication responsibility. Which is why it requires a biometric or passcode approval for payments, other than public transport Express Mode
As authentication is delegated with VRPs, not removed, the open banking providers need to provide their own authentication as part of the PSD2 regulations. Which as they will otherwise be liable in cases of fraud they will obviously want to put their own measures in place anyway.