Apple Pay Cash Sets Sights On Brazil, Ireland And Spain

Apple Pay Cash is reportedly coming to more countries, with users in Brazil, Ireland and Spain reporting seeing the payment service appear on their Messenger app.

That’s according to Engadget, which said on Flipboard that the peer-to-peer payment service appearing in the iOS messaging app is a sign that the payment method is coming to those countries shortly. Apple hasn’t made an official announcement on that, noted the report. The report noted that it’s not likely that the ability to send money between countries will be possible. Apple Pay Cash, as it stands now, lets you pay in your home country only. A push internationally could be what Apple needs to boost usage of its digital payment method.

In late December, Apple Pay Cash arrived. The new feature came with the iOS 11.2 update that was pushed out in the wee hours of the night. Though a middle-of-the-night upgrade is somewhat out of step with Apple’s standard operating procedure, it seems a bug forced Cupertino’s hand some. The bug that pushed the schedule forward, according to Engadget reporting, was affecting how the iPhone was displaying dates. But more than fixing a problem, the 11.2 update also added Apple Pay Cash, Apple’s peer-to-peer (P2P) payments system à la Venmo or Zelle. The update also added support for faster wireless charging for users with iPhone 8 and X models. There were also new emojis for all — and a sports section added to the TV app that curates live game streaming via the ESPN mobile app.

Meanwhile, Discover has announced that transactions made with Apple’s new Apple Pay Cash card will leverage the Discover Network. The card is part of the new Apple Pay functionality, which allows U.S. customers to quickly, easily and securely send and receive money among friends and family. When Apple customers receive money on a supported device, the money is added to their new Apple Pay Cash card. They can use the money instantly to pay someone or to make purchases using Apple Pay in stores, apps and on the web.