While my iPhone goes with me no matter where I travel, there's one I app I've never really launched before — Apple Wallet.
Yes, I'm aware that the digital wallet allows me to store electronic versions of bank cards and, more recently, other digital ID cards. And with that information stored on my phone, I could then tap and pay when I'm out on the go. But why bother with that, I thought, when my physical bank card can do the same thing?
Well, when your physical bank card snaps in half — as mine did — that changes your willingness to try out a digital wallet pretty quickly.
So while I waited for a new bank card to arrive, I decided to fire up Wallet, load in my banking information and see if Apple Pay is all it's cracked up to be. And maybe in the process, I'd lay to rest the concerns that had kept me from turning to Wallet and Apple Pay in the first place.
Why I avoided using Apple Wallet
There's no complicated backstory as to why I've resisted turning my iPhone 15 Pro into a tap-and-pay device. Even though other people have widely embraced that feature, there's always been something about the concept that I found inherently suspicious. I just couldn't imagine putting my banking details into my phone where they might be discovered and copied.
For that same reason, I had never used my bank's mobile app — at least until recently. And since I started doing that, it shouldn't be that much of a stretch to put my card details into the phone, right?
It's true there have been ways for payment information to fall into the wrong hands, such as a 2021 report where security researchers were able to swipe Apple Pay payments over the air. But after looking into Wallet, I've found that there's a lot more security put into place over the ensuing four years.
How secure is Apple Wallet and Apple Pay?
Apple's document on Apple Pay security and privacy offers a few interesting data points on the safeguards in place. As for those bank card details you enter into your iPhone, Apple states that:
"Apple doesn’t store or have access to the original card numbers of credit, debit or prepaid cards that you add to Apple Pay. Apple Pay only stores a portion of your actual card numbers and a portion of your Device Account Numbers, along with a card description."
In other words, even if someone broke into your phone, there's no way for them to have access to all the details needed to clone your card.
But what about if someone stole your phone, or had an NFC card reader in their hand to charge your phone when it's in your pocket?
Well, as Apple makes clear, if you actually want to pay for something, "you must authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode." Put another way, crooks can't surreptitiously force Apple Pay to work; the phone's owner has to be involved in some way.
Is Apple Wallet easy to use?
With those concerns put to rest, I set about to use the Wallet app with Apple Pay. And if you've been holding out until now, let me assure you, it's easy to get started.
All you have to do to add your bank card to the Wallet app is enter the details and follow the on-screen prompts. After registering your card, you may need to confirm everything on your banking app, as I did. After that. you're good to go. (As a bonus, that notification in your Settings instructing you to finish setting up your phone will finally disappear.)
Using Apple Pay to pay for stuff is pretty easy, and at this point, it's a pretty widely accepted form of payment. To pay, all you have to do is summon Apple Pay by double-tapping the power button. Then it's just a matter of holding your phone near the reader and doing a Face ID scan to verify the payment.
A nice addition to Apple Pay is that it keeps a log of your purchases. That allows me to see what I’ve spent and where so that I can keep better track of what I'm spending. On the downside, I now constantly see just how much I’ve secretly spent on snacks.
A more serious downside is that in some instances when I've tried using Apple Pay, the payment terminals don't always register the iPhone NFC connection. In some cases, the reader just didn't work and needed me to try again, but in others I had to use my disintegrating card tentatively. I'm not sure if this was an issue with the brand of card reader, or if it was simply a bad connection, but I noticed it was more common when trying to use vending machines.
However, even with that, I never realised that a broken bank card would open my eyes to the convenience — and security — of Apple Pay. I may have initially been hesitant to use Apple Wallet in the past, but I can honestly say my concerns have been alliviated.
Still reaching for my wallet?
So, with the month over, am I going to go back to my new card or will I keep using the Apple Wallet? Aside from my muscle memory having me pull out a wallet when I'm looking to pay for stuff, I think I will keep using my phone. My month with Apple Pay convinced me it's the way to go.
I'm not going to completely stop using a bank card or carrying around a physical wallet. While Apple Pay it is easy to use, you're still beholden to your phone having enough battery. If you run out of juice and you don't have a physical card, you're going to be in trouble. Ditto for those times when you encounter a place where Apple Pay isn't accepted.
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