Apple Pay coming to iOS 8.1, due for 20 October, sources say

2 Oct 2014

A number of sources close to consumer tech giant Apple are reporting that the anticipated Apple Pay function for iPhones will become available on 20 October as part of the release of the iOS 8.1 update.

According to Bank Innovation, multiple people within Apple have indicated the mobile payments system will indeed be released publically later this month.

As part of the release, Apple is also believed to be including a piece of code that will allow it to tinker with the private beta version of Apple Pay due to what the company envisions will be an overwhelming volume of usage upon its release.

Developers have also raised their concerns over not getting enough time to test the systems required to run Apple Pay prior to its public release. If major errors or security issues were to appear, they could have massive implications for the popularity or user numbers of the payment system.

Security, which also expected with the iOS 8.1 update, has been an issue for Apple, given the hacking of celebrity photos in iCloud and vulnerabilities found in the Bash bug.

The other major update due is the considerable overhaul of Apple Maps after its original iOS 8 launch had been found to have numerous bugs, particularly when it comes to directions and availability of public transport.

Colm Gorey was a senior journalist with Silicon Republic

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