Next week, Apple will release the latest iOS update, which includes a Tap to Pay feature that turns an iPhone into a point-of-sale terminal and a Face ID update that recognizes people even wearing masks.
On March 18, iOS 15.4 and iPads 15.4 will arrive alongside the green model of the iPhone 13 and the alpine green iPhone 13 Pro, Apple said this week at its first product event of the year. The iOS 15.4 version has been available in beta since January.
Tap to Pay will allow a person using the iPhone XS or any device released later to accept payments by tapping a contactless credit or debit card on the device. The feature works with American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa.
The payment feature uses near-field communication (NFC) technology, a short-range wireless connectivity standard, to interact with other contactless devices. NFC uses magnetic field induction to communicate when devices touch or are a few inches apart.
Stripe will become the first payment app to support Tap to Pay. Stripe, used by point-of-sale app maker Shopify, will be joined by other payment processors later in the year, according to Apple.
ipad and the new ipadOS update. (Photo: Playback/Apple)
Starting with iOS 15.4, people will be able to use their iPhone for identification by storing their driver’s license or state ID in Apple’s Wallet app. Apple promised the feature when it released iOS 15 last September.
The updated Face ID comes after nearly three years of a COVID-19 pandemic that forced people to wear masks. Many Reddit and Twitter users complained that facial recognition failed to unlock their iPhone when they were wearing a mask.
In a previous update, Apple allowed people to verify their identity to unlock their iPhone using an Apple Watch. With iOS 15.4, People Won’t Need an Apple Watch
Along with Face ID and Tap to Pay, iOS 15.4 includes 37 new emojis, including a melted face, a pregnant man, and a multiracial handshake, as well as additional language support for Visual Lookup. The latter suggests search terms for the content of the photo, such as a photo of a dog bringing up the option to search for “dog” online.
There will also be a fifth US English Siri voice option that Apple has confirmed will be recorded by a member of the LGBTQ+ community. The voice will sound less gendered, Axios reported.
Featured photo: New iPhone 13 model in green color. Playback / Apple
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