Apple has launched iOS 12.4 for iPhone and iPad, bringing support for the new Apple Card credit card that works in tandem with Apple Pay.
Announced this spring, the Apple Card is both a physical credit card (made from titanium, no less) you can use in brick and mortar stores, while also integrating with the Wallet app and the ability to make contactless payments via Apple Pay.
The Apple Card is a departure from any credit card we’ve seen before. The card itself doesn’t have a number, an expiry date or a security code; all of that lives within the Wallet app and, if you want to make a purchase online, you’ll have to look those details up on your phone.
Related: How to get an Apple Card
The new iOS 12.4 release is the first to support the Apple Card, but it’s still not enabled yet, with the public not yet able to sign up to use the card, which offers 1% back on card purchases, 2% back on Apple Pay purchases and 3% back on purchases from Apple. That cash back is credited to the Apple Card.
Apple had promised back in March to launch the card this summer, and given its now supported in the operating system, the launch may be imminent.
So what else is Apple doing with iOS 12.4? Well, there’s a new iPhone-to-iPhone migration tool that’ll make it easier for users to transfer data from their old to their new handset.
That’ll be handy for folks who don’t pay for an iCloud subscription, and might compensate for the death of iTunes for the Mac, which users have traditionally leveraged to set up new iPhones from backups.
With iOS 12.4 and watchOS 5.3 the Walkie Talkie functionality is back, after briefly being taken offline a couple of weeks ago, after Apple discovered a vulnerability that made it possible to eavesdrop on other iPhone owners.
iOS 12.4 is available as an over-the-air update from the Settings > General > Software update portion of the OS. Remember to back up before you install.
Barring something unforeseen, iOS 12.4 is likely to be the last version of the operating system before Apple rolls out iOS 13 this autumn – most likely in mid-September. The company is currently beta testing the operating system with developers and members of its public beta program.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
