If you’ve looking to play around with Apple Pay Cash, now’s your chance.
Apple Pay Cash is now included in the iOS 11.2 public beta, which was released on Tuesday morning. Some developers running iOS 11.2 are also seeing Apple Pay Cash appear as an option in the Messages app this morning.
Since the beginning of October, Apple employees have been testing Apple Pay Cash in a special version of iOS 11.1 that allowed the feature to be enabled through an internal device certificate. The test was initially limited to corporate employees, but later expanded to retail employees. Apple Pay Cash did not end up shipping in iOS 11.1, but it is apparently ready for iOS 11.2.
The Apple Pay Cash feature is also incorporated into the Messages app and is designed for quick person-to-person money transfers, as seen with Square Cash or Venmo. Though most Apple Pay Cash coverage has focused on the iPhone, money can also be sent using an Apple Watch.
As expected, money can be sent through a linked credit or debit card and received cash is stored in an Apple Pay Cash card in Wallet that can be used for purchases or sent to a bank account. Sending cash through a credit card incurs a 3 percent transaction fee, while sending cash from a debit card is free.
The Apple Pay Cash card available in Wallet is being made available through a partnership with Green Dot, a company that offers prepaid Discover cards. In order for the Apple Pay Cash feature to work, both parties need to have the feature enabled and activated on their devices. Money can only be sent through one-on-one messages and Apple Pay Cash is not available in group messages.
Apple Pay Cash will also be available on the Apple Watch with watchOS 4.2, and users can send cash directly from the Messages app on the wrist-worn device.
iOS 11.2 Public Beta users will need to load a $10 minimum onto their Apple Pay Cash card through the wallet app. Two-factor authentication must also be turned on, and an iPhone 6 or later is required. Apple Pay Cash is limited to the U.S. at this time.
Apple Pay Cash was first announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, but has yet to be incorporated into any of the iOS 11 betas. Apple recently announced that the feature would be available in a forthcoming iOS 11 update.