The roll-out of iOS 8 hasn’t been a smooth one, but new reports suggest that a fully-fledged 8.1 update may not be far away. MacRumors reports that the first beta developer release of the next iteration of the OS contains setting for Apple Pay, which is set to launch October — along with references to Touch ID for iPad.
The code for iOS 8.1 appears to include a new Settings pane that allows users to manage credit and debit cards linked to Apple Pay, as well as defining a default card, billing and shipping address, email and phone. There’s also a privacy disclaimer, which explains that card and device information, including location, may be sent back to Apple.
Elsewhere, the code also makes references to iPads being used to make payments, fuelled by the addition of Touch ID:
Pay with iPad using Touch ID. With Apple Pay, you no longer need to type card numbers and shipping information.
It’s long been rumoured that the iPad would pick up Touch ID, and code like this adds a little support to the speculation. What’s far more unclear is whether a future iPad might feature NFC or simply use Apple Pay for in-app purchases. Of course, this is all developer preview code, so it may not all actually turn into reality — apart from Apple Pay for iPhone, which we know is set to launch in October.
It does, however, suggest — as 9to5mac has speculated — that Apple may break with the traditional iOS update schedule for iOS 8, where a big update rolls out, roughly, in the first quarter of each year. Instead, if 8.1 arrives with Apple Pay next month, Apple may be rolling out big updates more regularly. But that’s speculation; let’s wait see. [Mac Rumours]