Apple is 'Watching Cryptocurrency' and Wants to Do More With Tipping and Mobile IDs

Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey recently sat down with CNN anchor Christine Romans at a private event in San Francisco to discuss the future of payments, including ‌Apple Pay‌ and the Apple Card.

jennifer bailey cnn

‌Apple Pay‌ vice president Jennifer Bailey via CNN Business

As to be expected, Bailey made some boilerplate comments about the security, privacy, and ease of use of both ‌Apple Pay‌ and the ‌Apple Card‌, but she also touched on cryptocurrency, tipping, and mobile IDs.

On cryptocurrency, Bailey said it is an "interesting" field with "long-term potential":

We're watching cryptocurrency. We think it's interesting. We think it has interesting long-term potential, but we're primarily focused on what consumers are using today… and are happy with. Most people are pretty happy with their debit card as an example. And so helping people do that in a more secure way on our platform and in a more real time way is what we're focused on.

On tipping, Bailey said it is one area where Apple still needs to "work more on that":

We get that feedback a lot from customers about when they start using mobile payments and Apple Pay, they stop carrying cash. And one of the key areas where they would like us to do more is actually in tipping. You'll see in some of the point-of-sale systems now great tipping functionality if you pay with mobile payments, but still that personal touch is one area where we still need to work more on that.

‌Apple Pay‌ and the Wallet app have already provided digital alternatives to credit and debit cards, student IDs, movie tickets, boarding passes, and more. Asked what the hardest remaining item in a wallet would be to digitize, Bailey said identities, such as a driver's license or a passport:

I think the hardest thing is identity. And the reason is that identity, to be legal, has to be government issued… it has to be authenticated by the government. We see across the globe many countries starting to use mobile to add passport… you might use mobile passport when you're going through airports today. It is moving, and I think it will continue. It's not too far away… it just won't be as fast as some of the other activities we have.

Bailey also confirmed that Apple is "working on" allowing users to export their Apple Card financial data to a budgeting app like Mint.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...

Top Rated Comments

MenaceF1 Avatar
74 months ago
Or just don't tip. There was an agreed price, I paid it. End of transaction.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
74 months ago
"We're watching cryptocurrency. We think it's interesting. We think it has interesting long-term potential, but we're primarily focused on what consumers are using today... and are happy with. Most people are pretty happy with their debit card as an example. And so helping people do that in a more secure way on our platform and in a more real time way is what we're focused on."

I just want Apple to make great computers and OSes so that I can do my work most efficiently. I want Apple Computer Company - not Apple Consumer Company

The last thing that anyone should want is a single powerful company that has all your data, what you think (texts, Siri etc), what you spend it on (banking) - and is willing to share it with the government (Apple has already admitted this in released emails - Tim Cooks protests and tweets are not legally binding). Because, you know, company CEOs, like presidents, aren't always on your side. They are on the side of the shareholders


On a recent podcast, Adam Curry reminded me that under Steve Jobs Apple’s mission statement was
“To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind.”

Apple’s current mission statement is “Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.”

And now Apple is revolutionizing the credit card industry - buy, buy, buy more, people!
Apple does not have all your data. They host a lot of data encrypted, and don't have the keys. Apple is not "willing to share" anything with the government other than what is legally required in each jurisdiction where they do business. Where do you get all this information you are claiming?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThirteenXIII Avatar
74 months ago
cryptocurrency/bitcoin? good luck with that. it may be useful for a secular type of financials but I dont see it going into everyones pockets or ewallets.

tipping? bleh.

**edit, why are my posts being edited?
"tipping? bleh. (I tip well, but its getting pretty ridiculous as prices continue to go up and they dont pay their people)."
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Strelok Avatar
74 months ago
bitcoin is going nowhere regardless of all the fake prices and paid bot accounts hyping it. None of the creeptos are. They are a crime infested cesspool of scams and the public has too much awareness of it now. She was giving a polite answer because she was asked a question and doesnt want to offend potential customers who may have wasted their money on crapto creepto pump n dump scams.
There’s more to cryptocurrency than bitcoin and other random crypto coins....
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thisisnotmyname Avatar
74 months ago
As much as I'd like to remove the last of "cards" we need to carry by having a virtual ID I'm not sure I want government issued items in my phone. Various agencies are already clamoring for a reason to have access to mobile devices, needing to "audit" and "validate" IDs would be one more lever to try and gain further access. Maybe my tin foil hat is a little too tight today though :-P
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
laz232 Avatar
74 months ago
"We're watching cryptocurrency. We think it's interesting. We think it has interesting long-term potential, but we're primarily focused on what consumers are using today... and are happy with. Most people are pretty happy with their debit card as an example. And so helping people do that in a more secure way on our platform and in a more real time way is what we're focused on."

I just want Apple to make great computers and OSes so that I can do my work most efficiently. I want Apple Computer Company - not Apple Consumer Company

The last thing that anyone should want is a single powerful company that has all your data, what you think (texts, Siri etc), what you spend it on (banking) - and is willing to share it with the government (Apple has already admitted this in released emails - Tim Cooks protests and tweets are not legally binding). Because, you know, company CEOs, like presidents, aren't always on your side. They are on the side of the shareholders


On a recent podcast, Adam Curry reminded me that under Steve Jobs Apple’s mission statement was
“To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind.”

Apple’s current mission statement is “Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.”

And now Apple is revolutionizing the credit card industry - buy, buy, buy more, people!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)