Apple officially enabled Universal Control in the macOS 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4 betas released a few days ago, but at least three other features, including support for driver’s licenses in the Wallet app, are anticipated to be brought to iOS later this year.
Residents of certain U.S. states will be able to connect their driver’s license or state ID to the iPhone and Apple Watch’s Wallet app starting in “early 2022,” giving a convenient and contactless means to demonstrate proof of identity or age.
Apple started last year that Arizona and Georgia will be the first states to embrace the feature, with Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah following suit. Other states, including Colorado, Delaware, Florida, and Louisiana, also have digital ID apps and might work with Apple to integrate them with the Wallet app.
TSA security checkpoints will be the first locations where ID cards from the Wallet app can be shown, followed by businesses and venues in the future, according to Apple. In the first beta of iOS 15.4, Apple has failed to enable the feature.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is working on a new feature that will turn the iPhone into a payment terminal without the use of any external gear, such as the famous Square Reader. When another iPhone or credit card is tapped on the rear of the device, the capability allows it to take payments.
According to Gurman, Apple may start rolling out the payments function with a software update “in the coming months,” implying that it will be an iOS 15 feature. However, the feature could be unveiled as part of iOS 16 at WWDC in June.
Apple said last year that it had purchased Primephonic, a classical music streaming service. Apple also said that in 2022, it will release a dedicated classical music app that will combine Primephonic’s finest qualities with new features and benefits. Apple Music members will be able to download the app “later this year.”
It’s unclear whether the Apple Music Classical app will be free for Apple Music members or will cost extra. 3D Apple Maps will be accessible later this year in the Canadian cities of Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver, according to Apple.
According to MacRumors, Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis is planning to implement Apple’s digital car key functionality, which allows users to lock, unlock, and start their cars using a pass saved in the Wallet app on their iPhone or Apple Watch. Since its debut in 2020, the function has been limited to a few BMW models. Genesis is expected to implement the feature by the summer, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
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