Surprise iPhone update adds trick to save you from Christmas shopping nightmare – see if your bank is on the list

A SURPRISE iPhone update gives you a free upgrade to Apple Pay that’s perfect for festive shopping.

Apple has added a clever new feature that lets you see new info in the app – like your current bank balance – before you make a purchase.

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Normally when you go to tap with Apple Pay, you don’t know how much money is available.

To check, you’d typically have to go into your banking app to view your current balance.

But a new update for UK Apple Pay users lets you view your up-to-date balance.

This means you can be sure you have enough money on a card before making a purchase with your iPhone – just in time for the Christmas shopping season.

You’ll be able to see your debit card account details, as well as debit and credit card spending history, payments, deposits and withdrawals – all inside the Wallet app.

“By enabling users to conveniently access their most useful account information within Wallet and at the time of their purchase, they can make informed financial decisions and better understand and manage their spend,” says Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.

“We look forward to working with U.K. partners under the Open Banking initiative to help users better their financial health.

“And provide more ways in which banks can deepen their relationships with customers.”

The feature is only available in the UK for now – but will also roll out in the US in the future.

How to view your bank balance with Apple Pay

For a start, the service is only available with certain banks.

You’ll need to be banking with one of the following companies for it to work:

• Barclays
• Barclaycard
• First Direct
• Halifax
• HSBC
• Lloyds
• M&S Bank
• Monzo
• NatWest
• Royal Bank of Scotland

You’ll also need to make sure that you’ve updated your iPhone to the latest version of iOS 17.1

Then you’ll need to add an eligible debit or credit card to your Apple Wallet app, which is installed by default on your iPhone.

You’ll be taken to your financial provider’s website or app to connect the card to Wallet.

And you’ll be given the option to see additional information inside your Wallet app.

If you already have an eligible card connected, you’ll receive a prompt to authenticate the new system to unlock the updated feature.

Info like balance and transaction history are always stored on-device and not on Apple’s servers.

Once you’re done, you can simply head into the Apple Wallet app to view the available info.

You can remove the feature at any time – simply disconnect the account in your Settings app.

This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk