Starting with iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, and watchOS 9, Apple Pay will allow users to pay multiple merchants in a single transaction within supported apps. Apple says this feature will let users make a bundled purchase, such as a travel package with flights, a rental car, and a hotel room, all in a single Apple Pay payment sheet.
Apple Pay has also received a redesign on macOS Ventura, with the payment sheet now looking similar to the one on iOS 15 and later.
As we previously reported, Apple Pay on iOS 16 is also gaining detailed receipts and order tracking information for Apple Pay transactions in the Wallet app. In addition, a new Apple Pay Later option will let customers split a purchase into four equal payments over six weeks, with no interest or fees to pay, according to Apple.
iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, and watchOS 9 are currently in beta for developers and will be released to all users in the fall.
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker.
Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...
Cool. Now we just need a Wallet app for the Mac. I get that you can't go around paying for things with the Mac, but why not let people manage saved and look over transactions on the Mac? I don't see the downside, especially now that the Mac has good biometrics. I find it especially galling I can't really manage my Apple Card on my Mac.
(Venmo sucks at this too -- you can no longer do anything on their website and are forced to use a phone. It's so frustrating and dumb to be forced to use a tiny handheld device when you're sitting in front of a big screen and keyboard.)
The payment method doesn't really matter in some cases. Kroger, for instance, has conditioned me to always log in with my kroger phone/account number to get the best prices.
How I pay makes no difference, as they know what I bought every time as a result of the club card login.
Honestly I don't mind, as they send me relevant coupons and cash back cards -- and it gives discounts on gas (for our one remaining non EV)
For Kroger yes I don't mind either for the reasons you mention.
But it's more than just your purchase history. Your card number can tie you across stores for more valuable marketing data. Apple Pay hides the actual number specifically to protect against tracking.
Look back at about 2014 I think when this all started in earnest. Remember the Telco cartel's ISIS? Not as evil as the organization that took that same name (and of course the cartels rebranded and then abandoned the idea) but still evil because it was another attempt by the cartel to control people, this time by attempting to own payments.
Eventually everyone but the biggest corporations caved and now we can use Apple / Google pay everywhere except the places that are still trying to keep that control.
I wish that were the case here. Kroger is still a hold out. (Our closest Kroger still hasn't even updated to terminals that support NFC, though some have and just don't support it.) And gas pumps are hit and miss whether they have NFC readers.
Kroger, Walmart, Home Depot, and several other large companies have actively refused and will never support it. The first two have implemented their own QR based system. Home Depot just wants your phone number to spam you.
These companies will never support it because they want to mine the payment data for themselves.
