Apple Pay Cash Now Available for iOS 11.2 Users

[nsayer]

I do see where you're coming from, but in my experience, you can have all your ducks in a row and still can't have things functional for all users at one time.

I work in marketing for a small company. I sit 5 feet from our webmaster. He 'flips the switch' to launch a website and it can take 1 minute or 1 day for the new site to appear for the handful of people we have testing it. That's how these things work. Apple definitely has a better infrastructure than we do, but they're also pushing this to millions of people. They most likely did all they can do on their end and it's up to time to fix the rest. Same thing happens when there is an iOS updates. Not everyone gets them at 10:00 AM PST.

Your small company doesn't have a market cap of nearly a trillion dollars.

And I've never had any trouble getting a software update when it was released. Apple knows how to properly queue those and to stage them before hand on enough servers to keep the process moving. Apparently the Apple Pay folks didn't get the memo.

 

[randymac09]

The 1 minute to 1 day thing is due to how DNS propagation works. Apple uses a CDN (content delivery network) so the delay is probably the time it takes to spread through their CDN.

That's good to know. Is that a process that still takes some time to complete?

 

[639051]

I really don't see the benefit to this considering the same is accomplished via other reputable services like Square Cash. Square Cash (and others) also have the benefit of being cross platform.

 

[oneMadRssn]

The whole point of this is to not make a penny one day. It’s the ease of use when sending money to friends.

It's no more difficult to just transfer the money to my preferred bank account right away.

The way Apple does it:
1. John iMessages me $5.
2. Apple charges John's card $5.
3. Apple puts $5 into my Apple Pay Cash account. (Why? This step is unnecessary)
4. I have to ask Apple to transfer $5 from Apple Pay Cash to my bank account.

The way Square Cash does it:
1. John iMessages me $5, using the Square Cash plugin for iMessage.
2. Square charges John's card $5.
3. Square transfer $5 to my bank account.

 

[D.T.]

Can you please change the titlle of the article in Apple Pay Cash Now Available for (some) iOS 11.2 Users in the US

... and by some, we mean about 10.



I was able to get the Apple Pay Cash button after a restart, toggling it generates the same error several people have mentioned.

Closer ...

 

[bmms8]

It's no more difficult to just transfer the money to my preferred bank account right away.

The way Apple does it:
1. John iMessages me $5.
2. Apple charges John's card $5.
3. Apple puts $5 into my Apple Pay Cash account.
4. I have to ask Apple to transfer $5 from Apple Pay Cash to my bank account.

The way Square Cash does it:
1. John iMessages me $5, using the Square Cash plugin for iMessage.
2. Square charges John's card $5.
3. Square transfer $5 to my bank account.

In 6 months tell me how many people use square compared to Apple Pay cash..

 

[randymac09]

Your small company doesn't have a market cap of nearly a trillion dollars.

And I've never had any trouble getting a software update when it was released. Apple knows how to properly queue those and to stage them before hand on enough servers to keep the process moving. Apparently the Apple Pay folks didn't get the memo.

Which is why I stated they have a better infrastructure.

And obviously you've never visited this site when an update rolls out, or you'd know that others have issues getting their updates right away. It's the same issue with this: some get it right away, others have to wait. Luck of the draw, I suppose. These things take time. That's nothing new and it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

 

[ineedamac]

Not activated yet here.

 

[bwintx]

That's good to know. Is that a process that still takes some time to complete?

DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours, but that's unlikely in this case.

 

[nsayer]

The 1 minute to 1 day thing is due to how DNS propagation works. Apple uses a CDN (content delivery network) so the delay is probably the time it takes to spread through their CDN.

If this is a CDN propagation issue, Apple should have known that and waited a day for the CDNs to stabilize before turning on the switch in Settings > Wallet. They demonstrated all weekend long that they could separately enable that. They should have waited until it would actually ****ing work.

 

[oneMadRssn]

In 6 months tell me how many people use square compared to Apple Pay cash..

So... Apple's way is better because they are flexing their iOS monopoly power to muscle out the little guys? Isn't that sort of like saying Apple is the Walmart of person-to-person payment processing? You like this?

This doesn't answer my question - why is Apple doing it the stupid way, when there is obviously a better way to do it? I'm not against Apple, I'm just confused why they deliberately make something more complicated and put an additional step between me and my money.

 

[JosephAW]

Maybe I'll upgrade my 5S to iOS 11 to tinker around with it. Too bad Apple doesn't release iMessage for other platforms and iOS versions.

 

[639051]

In 6 months tell me how many people use square compared to Apple Pay cash..

Probably just, you know, Apple iOS users because this isn't available for Android devices, or anything else.

 

[bmms8]

So... Apple's way is better because they are flexing their iOS monopoly power to muscle out the little guys? Isn't that sort of like saying Apple is the Walmart of person-to-person payment processing? You like this?

This doesn't answer my question - why is Apple doing it the stupid way, when there is obviously a better way to do it? I'm not against Apple, I'm just confused why they deliberately make something more complicated and put an additional step between me and my money.

Because they have shareholders to appease. You can also use your Apple Pay cash card to purchse Apple items in store. It’s business for them. No one is forcing customers to buy something at the apple store with this money but it will happen. Everyone is at will..

 

[Acerone]

working now in NYC

 

[nsayer]

Which is why I stated they have a better infrastructure.

And obviously you've never visited this site when an update rolls out, or you'd know that others have issues getting their updates right away. It's the same issue with this: some get it right away, others have to wait. Luck of the draw, I suppose. These things take time. That's nothing new and it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

I have visited this site under those circumstances and what I often see is people complaining of extremely long download times. That's not even close to the same thing as a universal up-front failure for nearly everyone.

And besides, if that was going to be an issue, they could have just slowly rolled out enabling the switch in Settings > Wallet. That would have - again - been a far better customer experience.

 

[bmms8]

Probably just, you know, Apple iOS users because this isn't available for Android devices, or anything else.

You are missing the point. I said how many not who...

 

[Acerone]

Can someone send me $1 to try it out

 

[randymac09]

So... Apple's way is better because they are flexing their iOS monopoly power to muscle out the little guys? Isn't that sort of like saying Apple is the Walmart of person-to-person payment processing? You like this?

This doesn't answer my question - why is Apple doing it the stupid way, when there is obviously a better way to do it? I'm not against Apple, I'm just confused why they deliberately make something more complicated and put an additional step between me and my money.

One reason why Apple might be doing it the "stupid" way is because not all cards work with Apple Pay right now. So, now a user who has a card that doesn't work on Apple Pay can use Apple Pay via Apple Pay Cash. They can either load it up themselves, or accept money from other people onto their APC card and then use it. It might seem like an extra step to you, but it might be a benefit to someone else.

 

[sjc83]

Not working in Ohio, yet.

 

[Sasparilla]

I really don't see the benefit to this considering the same is accomplished via other reputable services like Square Cash. Square Cash (and others) also have the benefit of being cross platform.

From a purely logical standpoint you are correct. Along with Square Cash, Venmo, Zelle etc. are already here and multiplatform....but most of the older generation don't use them (and barely know of them). However once this is turned on - all iMessage users will have it "installed"...probably becoming the largest instant payment service in the U.S. in a couple of days.

In the end it'll probably be a bonus to Square, Venmo and Zelle because most folks are running Android and these Apple Pay folks will need the multiplatform down the road, but it'll introduce a huge new potential audience to the concept starting them down the road to a multiplatform solution.

I've tried to introduce my parent age and older iPhone relatives to the idea of VenMo (along with ride sharing) and they just look at me like "why would I want that?". I fully expect to hear (over this next year) that this new thing Apple invented in iMessage is so convenient and they love it. But they need something for their Android friends. JMHO...

 

[fmalloy]

Apple brags about Apple Pay Cash in big hoopla for iOS 11 at the "Steve Jobs Theatre".

iOS11 is released. No APC.

iOS11.1 is released. No APC.

iOS11.2 is released. They say APC is available in the release notes. No go. Wait until Monday, they say.

Monday comes, toggle is there, but "Unavailable".

What's next? You will be able to enable it, but it won't work. Fixed in iOS11.3!

And around we go.

 

[maceric]

Settings now show Apple Pay Cash as a toggle option to switch on, yet still says it's unavailable. - Lambertville, New Jersey here.

 

[monkieboy99]

Not available in AZ yet. Signing in getting error "apple pay cash unavailable"

 

[Rigby]

I hate that most of these payment services are essentially a no-interest checking account until you decide to transfer the money into your account. PayPal, Venmo, and now Apple Pay Cash.

Why would I want another account with a nominal amount of money sitting in it?
Who wouldn't want incoming payments to just go to their primary bank account right away?

The only question is Square Cash, but unfortunately nobody I know uses it. Square Cash doesn't keep your money in an account, and just transfers directly into your bank every time.

Zelle is probably what you are looking for. It's run by banks and the payments go directly from account to account without a middleman. I've used it a few times and it works well. Shame that the banks aren't promoting it more.