Greater Manchester Gets Support for Apple Pay Express Mode
Support for Apple Pay's Express Mode has this week been added to the Bee Network in Greater Manchester, enabling passengers to pay for bus and tram travel without unlocking their iPhone or Apple Watch.
The new functionality marks the first time a UK integrated public transport system outside London has implemented Express Mode. According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the launch builds on the network's rollout of contactless "tap and go" earlier this year, which has already led to more than one million contactless journeys per week.
Apple Pay's Express Mode was first introduced in London in 2019, allowing iPhone and Apple Watch owners to pass through Transport for London turnstiles with a single tap. The feature is designed primarily for public transit systems, enabling rapid contactless transactions that bypass the biometric or passcode requirement that normally accompanies Apple Pay. The feature also supports iPhone's Power Reserve mode, meaning transactions can still be made for several hours even if the device battery is critically low.
Users can select a debit or credit card in the Apple Wallet app as their default transit card under "Express Travel Settings." Once enabled, payment requires only holding the device near a card reader. For most users, the default payment card already selected in Apple Wallet will automatically be assigned to Express Mode, though this can be changed at any time in Settings.
Express Mode is already supported in cities around the world, including London, New York, Beijing, Tokyo, and Sydney.
Popular Stories
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 ...
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...
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014.
This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
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...
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...
