GoKawiil
Tech News
Digital wallets like Apple Pay require device authentication—Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode—before any purchase can be confirmed, unlike many physical cards that skip verification for small transactions. They also use tokenization, replacing your actual card number with a unique, single-use code so merchants never see real card details, and they sidestep skimming devices since no card is physically inserted.
Apple's Wallet app allows iPhone and Apple Watch owners to add a digital version of their driver's license alongside other IDs like passports. The feature uses encryption and biometric authentication via Face ID or Touch ID, letting users control exactly what information is revealed—for example, only confirming legal drinking age rather than sharing a full birthdate. Adoption remains limited, as only some businesses, venues, and airport checkpoints currently accept these digital credentials.
Apple Wallet is the iPhone (and Apple Watch) app that stores digital cards, IDs, boarding passes, tickets and loyalty cards, while Apple Pay is the payment service that actually processes transactions using cards saved in Wallet. Making a purchase in-store involves tapping an NFC terminal and double-pressing the side button, then confirming identity via Face ID, Touch ID or a PIN, whereas online purchases work much like PayPal by selecting a stored card and authenticating.
trinamiX, a sensor technology spin-off of BASF, has filed a lawsuit accusing Apple of infringing seven patents covering skin-detection methods used to defeat spoofing attempts against Face ID. The suit targets recent iPhone models from the 15 through 17 lineup, the iPhone Air, and several iPad Pro generations, arguing Apple copied technology that distinguishes real human skin from masks or photos using reflected light patterns.
Apple offers a built-in Quick Start feature that lets users move data from an old iPhone to a new one by placing the devices near each other and scanning an on-screen animation. Users can then choose to restore from their latest iCloud backup or perform a direct transfer straight from the old device during setup.
Apple's Find My iPhone can be turned off manually via Settings, but only after disabling Stolen Device Protection, a security feature enabled by default since iOS 26.4. Users are advised to do this at home to avoid built-in delays meant to deter thieves who know a device's passcode. Location sharing with specific contacts can also be stopped individually through the Find My app without disabling the entire feature.