As we are continuing to learn following the release of the very first beta, iOS 8 is full of weird and wonderful surprises, and now it has emerged that the camera of an iPhone running the upcoming software can be used to scan in credit card details.
The folks at 9to5Mac have been doing a little digging into iOS 8 beta 1 and found that Apple wishes to make a more concerted push in the world of mobile payments. With no NFC thus far – although some reports have suggested that the next iPhone may pack such technology – Apple’s only noteworthy gesture has been with the voucher-focused Passbook app, but within iOS 8 lies a neat little feature that lets a user scan credit card information using the camera.
The user will need to be using the Safari Web browser, and when navigating through the payment process on a site like Amazon, the camera can then be used to scan a credit card. This does away with the rather tiresome rigmarole of entering details manually, and will serve as an alternative option to the traditional AutoFill.
Given that Apple already allows users to scan iTunes voucher codes in, this is not exactly a new idea, but given that it is integrated natively, will surely help to streamline the payment processes of those using iOS 8.
Although Apple has yet to put a precise release date on iOS 8 or the just-announced OS X 10.10 Yosemite, we can use previous roll-outs to establish a rough idea of when we might be seeing these new pieces of software. But Apple did say that iOS 8 and Yosemite will be available this fall, and we’re certain that iOS 8 will be released alongside the new iPhone 6, while Yosemite will also hit the scene in the same time frame.
We’re very much looking forward to both, but clearly, Apple has put quite a bit more time and work into improving things with iOS 8. We’ll be keeping an eye out for any more intriguing information relating to iOS 8, OS X 10.10 and the Apple release roadmap in general, so stay tuned to our coverage here at Redmond Pie!
You may also like to check out:
- Download iOS 8 Beta 1 For iPhone, iPad, iPod touch
- iOS 8 Announced: Features, Compatibility, Release Date [Everything You Need To Know]
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