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iOS 11 beta code references ‘Apple Pay Cash card’ and required photo ID

Since its announcement at WWDC 2017, details on Apple’s upcoming person to person payment service has been sparse. Not having made any appearances in the latest iOS 11 betas, expectations have been set that we’ll see an official launch later this year.

While we may have to wait, iHelp BR has uncovered some further details on what we may come to expect with final Apple Pay Cash release. Code references in the Apple Pay framework point to the fact that users may have to authenticate the service using a driver’s license or photo ID.

During WWDC 2017, Craig Federighi gave developers a peek at what to expect with the upcoming payment system:

There was one final frontier we wanted to conquer and that’s Apple Pay for person to person payments. Now, it’s super simple because it’s integrated right in to messages as an iMessage App.

So you can send and receive money right in your transcript.

Of course, when you send it, you authenticate securely with Touch ID. And if you receive money with iMessage, it goes to your Apple Pay cash card. And from there, well you can send it on to friends and family, if you are charitable, you can make Apple Pay purchases at retail or on the web. And, of course, you can pull it out and transfer it to your bank. And it’s available across all these iOS devices and Apple Watch too.

The onstage conversation quickly moved on from there, leaving the oft-rumored feature with plenty of questions unanswered.

iHelp BR’s discovery today shows us just what the Apple Pay process may look like this coming fall. Working under the title ‘Apple Pay Cash’ the strings refer to user identity verification, transfer fees, and an Apple Pay Cash card.

What’s notable here is that users may be required to upload a driver’s license or photo ID for verification before sending money to one another. One of the strings mentions “Position your driver’s license or photo ID in the frame”, possibly using the same system seen when adding a credit or debit card to Wallet. It appears that if verification fails, a user will not be able to send payments through Messages:

Your information could not be verified.

You can still use your Apple Pay Cash balance in stores and apps. Sending and receiving payments in Messages will not be available until verification can be completed.

Based on the references discovered, Apple will most likely be treating this Apple Pay Cash card like a virtual card in the user’s Wallet. Payment processor Square follows a similar system with their Square Cash card. Users are able to maintain a balance on the virtual card, transfer back to a bank account, and send money back and forth to one another.

One of the lines mentions that Apple Pay Cash “works best with a debit card”, but doesn’t clarify exactly why. iHelp BR speculates that using a credit card might mean having to pay a fee, something cash transfer apps like Venmo and Square Cash currently implement.

Apple is expected to release iOS 11 at an event next month alongside a new Apple TV, new iPhones, and Apple Watches.


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