Starting with iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, and watchOS 9, Apple Pay will allow users to pay multiple merchants in a single transaction within supported apps. Apple says this feature will let users make a bundled purchase, such as a travel package with flights, a rental car, and a hotel room, all in a single Apple Pay payment sheet.
Apple Pay has also received a redesign on macOS Ventura, with the payment sheet now looking similar to the one on iOS 15 and later.
As we previously reported, Apple Pay on iOS 16 is also gaining detailed receipts and order tracking information for Apple Pay transactions in the Wallet app. In addition, a new Apple Pay Later option will let customers split a purchase into four equal payments over six weeks, with no interest or fees to pay, according to Apple.
iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, and watchOS 9 are currently in beta for developers and will be released to all users in the fall.
Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
Cool. Now we just need a Wallet app for the Mac. I get that you can't go around paying for things with the Mac, but why not let people manage saved and look over transactions on the Mac? I don't see the downside, especially now that the Mac has good biometrics. I find it especially galling I can't really manage my Apple Card on my Mac.
(Venmo sucks at this too -- you can no longer do anything on their website and are forced to use a phone. It's so frustrating and dumb to be forced to use a tiny handheld device when you're sitting in front of a big screen and keyboard.)
The payment method doesn't really matter in some cases. Kroger, for instance, has conditioned me to always log in with my kroger phone/account number to get the best prices.
How I pay makes no difference, as they know what I bought every time as a result of the club card login.
Honestly I don't mind, as they send me relevant coupons and cash back cards -- and it gives discounts on gas (for our one remaining non EV)
For Kroger yes I don't mind either for the reasons you mention.
But it's more than just your purchase history. Your card number can tie you across stores for more valuable marketing data. Apple Pay hides the actual number specifically to protect against tracking.
Look back at about 2014 I think when this all started in earnest. Remember the Telco cartel's ISIS? Not as evil as the organization that took that same name (and of course the cartels rebranded and then abandoned the idea) but still evil because it was another attempt by the cartel to control people, this time by attempting to own payments.
Eventually everyone but the biggest corporations caved and now we can use Apple / Google pay everywhere except the places that are still trying to keep that control.
I wish that were the case here. Kroger is still a hold out. (Our closest Kroger still hasn't even updated to terminals that support NFC, though some have and just don't support it.) And gas pumps are hit and miss whether they have NFC readers.
Kroger, Walmart, Home Depot, and several other large companies have actively refused and will never support it. The first two have implemented their own QR based system. Home Depot just wants your phone number to spam you.
These companies will never support it because they want to mine the payment data for themselves.
