Apple Pay launches
Apple Pay enjoyed a relatively smooth launch in the US today, with customers of some of the country's biggest banks able to use their iPhones to make purchases at a host of bricks-and-mortar and virtual stores.
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The service rolled out to iPhone owners via the iOS 8.1 software update this morning, enabling people to link cards from, among others, Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo to their handsets.
Users can already make in-store payments at Foot Locker, McDonald's, Office Depot, and Whole Foods Market with the system by holding their fingers over the Touch ID biometric fingerprint application and tapping the device against the retailer's contactless terminal. Among the firms offering in-app Apple Pay payments are AirBnB, OpenTable, Target and Uber.
Last week, Apple boss Tim Cook revealed that a host of new retailers and 500 more banks have signed up to the service since it was first announced in September, meaning a second tranche of participants is in the pipeline.
There have been some grumbles on Twitter from users frustrated about not being able to link store cards, while some Bank of America customers were irritated about having to make a call to activate their cards. However, the launch has largely gone smoothly, with excited fans taking to social media to share their first Apple Pay purchases.