Apple's Wallet App Adds Enhanced Features for UK Card Users

Apple is reshaping the financial landscape with its latest announcement. iOS 17.1 now brings enhanced functionalities for the Wallet app in the UK.

With the changes, users can now seamlessly view account balances and full transaction histories for select bank cards and credit cards.

Originally launched in October as part of Apple's Connected Cards feature, this capability was initially limited to a few banks. However, recent developments have expanded the list of supported institutions.

Expanded Banking Partnerships

As per the updated support document from Apple, several major banks in the UK now support the account balance and transaction history viewing feature.

The list includes industry giants like Barclays, Barclaycard, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds, M&S Bank, Monzo Bank, NatWest Bank, and Royal Bank of Scotland. This is made possible through the integration of these banks with Apple's Open Banking API.

Seamless Integration Through Open Banking API

The integration leverages Apple's Open Banking API, establishing a direct connection between these financial institutions and the Wallet app. This allows users to consolidate their financial information effortlessly, creating a unified and convenient hub for monitoring account activities, per MacRumors.

While initially exclusive to the UK, there are promising signs of a global rollout. The code within iOS 17.1 hints at the eventual expansion of this feature to the United States.

Discover card users in the US were the first to catch a glimpse of this option within the Apple Wallet which indicates a potential broader release in the future.

Apple Wallet UK Card Update in a Nutshell

In summary, the roster of UK banks that can take advantage of the new feature include the following:

• Barclays
• Barclaycard
• First Direct
• Halifax
• HSBC
• Lloyds
• M&S Bank
• Monzo Bank
• NatWest Bank
• Royal Bank of Scotland.

As of writing, the new change is exclusive to UK residents and this means that US-based users cannot use the feature. However, it is anticipated that a separate update for US consumers will be rolled out in the near future.

In case, transactions and account balance is nowhere to be seen in the Wallet app, it just means one thing. You can't view the account balance because of an incompatibility issue with the card issuer.

Furthermore, the Cupertino firm is expected to revamp the bank support to cater to the needs of the people. With that being said, the compatibility is also expected to broaden over time, per OPP.Today.

In other news, Tech Times reported that the EU's highest court advisor has a recommendation for Apple in line with the tax battle.

According to the article, the official urged the tech titan to reevaluate the 13 billion euro payment. He also meant that there's a need to set aside the tax ruling.

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