iPhones To Have 3 New Features This Year

Universal Control was enabled in the iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3 betas issued a few days ago, however, there are still more features to come, according to the details 3 more important features are expected to be added to iOS later this year, including support for driver’s licenses in the Wallet app. The list below has arranged the new features that are planned for future iOS versions, along with the features that will be expanded.

Driver’s License in Wallet App

Starting in “early 2022,” residents of select U.S. states will be able to add their driver’s license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age. Last year, Apple announced that Arizona and Georgia will be among the first states to support the feature and said that Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah will follow. Other states like Colorado, Delaware, Florida, and Louisiana already offer their own digital ID apps and could work with Apple on Wallet app integration.

Apple said select TSA security checkpoints will be the first locations where ID cards in the Wallet app can be presented, followed by retailers and venues in the future. Apple has yet to enable the feature in the first beta of iOS 15.4.

Payments Similar to Square

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple has been working on a new feature that will turn the iPhone into a payments terminal without any additional hardware like the popular Square Reader. The feature would allow an iPhone to accept payments when another iPhone or credit card is tapped on the back of the device.

Gurman said Apple may begin rolling out the payments feature with a software update “in the coming months,” suggesting that it could be an iOS 15 feature, but it is possible that the feature could be announced as part of iOS 16 at WWDC in June.

Classical Music In Apple Music App

Last year, Apple announced that it had acquired classical music streaming service Primephonic. As part of the announcement, Apple said it plans to launch a dedicated classical music app in 2022 that combines Primephonic’s best features with additional features and benefits. The app will be available to Apple Music subscribers “later this year.” It’s unclear if the Apple Music Classical app will be made available to Apple Music subscribers at no additional charge or if it will cost extra.

Features To Be Expanded

Apple recently announced that 3D Apple Maps will be available in the Canadian cities of Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver later this year. MacRumors also uncovered evidence that Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis is planning to support Apple’s digital car key feature, which lets users lock, unlock, and start their vehicles using a pass stored in the Wallet app on the iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature has been limited to select BMW models since launching in 2020. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said Genesis will likely roll out support for the feature by the summer.