After months of speculation, Apple Pay Cash is out in the wild. The new feature came with the iOS 11.2 update that first appeared overnight this weekend. 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 adds Apple Pay Cash, Apple’s peer-to-peer (P2P) payments system à la Venmo or Zelle.
The update will also add support for faster wireless charging for users with iPhone 8 and X models. There are also new emojis for all — and a sports section added to the TV app that curates live game streaming via the ESPN mobile app.
It has been a rough month for Apple in terms of software issues, and there is a lot riding on this update to smooth over frequent glitch complaints among iOS users.
Also a quick note for anyone who is excited to give Apple Pay Cash a test drive this morning — according to reports, Cash isn’t actually up and running as a feature just yet. We’ll keep you posted about when they actually flip it on for use.