Apple Previews New Features Coming to Maps, Wallet, Podcasts, and More Services This Fall

Apple has previewed a wide range of new features coming to its services with this fall's software releases. The updates include enhancements to Apple Maps, Find My, Apple Wallet, Apple Pay, Apple Podcasts, iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Fitness+.



"We're excited to bring powerful new features and intelligence to hundreds of millions of users across Apple services, making their experiences even more useful and fun," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Services. "From new exploration tools with Flyover and Local Lists in Maps, to more convenient ways to pay and get paid in Apple Wallet, to the continued expansion of video podcasts in Apple Podcasts on Mac and in tvOS, and so much more — these updates reflect our commitment to creating experiences that truly make a difference in people's lives."

Enhanced Flyover and Local Lists in Apple Maps

Apple Maps gains an enhanced Flyover experience that combines aerial imagery with AI to render select cities in greater detail, giving users a sharper, more lifelike view of destinations whether they are scouting a location before a trip or exploring a city from a new perspective.



Local Lists, rolling out in the U.S., uses intelligent insights from what's trending to surface locally relevant collections of places, from trending restaurants to great spots to take kids. Apple says all insights are derived with privacy in mind and are never tied to individual users.

Flexible Sharing and a Unified Find My App on Apple Watch

Find My is adding more control over location sharing. Users will be able to share for a custom duration, whether for a set number of minutes, hours, or days, or pick a date and time for sharing to stop. They can also pause sharing with specific people until the end of the day, useful for shopping for a gift or arranging a surprise without spoiling it.



On Apple Watch, a new unified Find My app replaces the separate Find Devices, Find Items, and Find People apps with a map-centric interface. It offers quick access to directions, playing a sound on a device, and contact information, and adds Precision Finding to help locate a paired iPhone, AirTag (2nd generation), and AirPods Pro 3.

Split Bills and Smarter Passes in Apple Wallet

With iOS 27, users can split bills using Apple Cash and Apple Intelligence. By scanning a receipt with the iPhone camera or using a photo of a bill in Messages, Apple Wallet, or through Visual Intelligence, users can have items identified and select what they ordered, with their share of tax and tip calculated automatically before paying with Apple Cash. The new Siri mode in the Camera app can surface the split-bill action when an iPhone is pointed at a receipt.



iPhone and Apple Watch users will also be able to create passes in Apple Wallet from physical cards such as loyalty or membership cards. Using Siri mode in the Camera app, users point their iPhone at a card with a barcode or screenshot a digital one, then save it to Wallet, where it can be presented as a barcode or QR code. Users can also create and add passes directly from Apple Wallet. Passes can be pinned to the Smart Stack on Apple Watch for quick access.



With iOS 27, Apple Wallet also offers an enhanced key experience for participating hotels and resorts, letting guests view trip details, get updates about booked activities, and access services during their stay alongside their room key.

An Updated Apple Pay Checkout and Tap to Share

Apple is introducing an updated design for checking out online and in apps with Apple Pay. Users can swipe to switch cards, and for eligible cards in Wallet the design surfaces details like rewards balances, debit account balances, and pay later options. Later this year, users will be able to use Apple Pay to add funds to an eligible debit card directly in Apple Wallet or at online checkout.



Apple says Tap to Pay on iPhone now lets tens of millions of merchants in over 50 countries and regions accept contactless payments without extra hardware. This fall, the in-store experience adds Tap to Share, which lets customers tap to connect with a participating merchant's iPhone to securely share information such as email and other contact information, shipping address, and loyalty rewards information, view basket items in real time, and then pay with Apple Pay without tapping again.

Video Podcasts Come to Mac and Apple TV

Apple Podcasts brings video to the Mac with an enhanced experience that includes Picture in Picture, transcripts, timed links, and chapters. On tvOS, Apple Podcasts gets a complete redesign with video playback, new sidebar navigation, and support for creators' episode and show artwork. A new search within show feature, available across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision Pro, and podcasts.apple.com, helps users find specific episodes by searching directly within a show's episode list.

Revamped iCloud Shared Albums and More iCloud+ Benefits

iCloud Shared Albums add full-resolution sharing, support for more file types, emoji reactions, and updated activity feeds with per-album activity. New temporary albums let users collaborate on short-term projects without taking up space in their iCloud storage, and anyone, including people without an Apple device, can join and contribute photos on the web.



Most iCloud+ plans offer higher daily usage limits for Apple Intelligence features, including image generation, along with Apple Intelligence support for compatible Home cameras.

Lyrics Translation, AutoMix, and Lossless Audio in Apple Music

Lyrics Translation expands to seven new language pairings: English to French, English to German, English to Italian, English to Korean, English to Spanish, French to English, and Japanese to English. Apple uses machine learning with fine-tuning from language experts to preserve each song's emotion and intent.

Lyrics Pronunciation, which helps users sing along to songs in another language, adds five new pairings: Arabic to Romanized Arabic, English to Hangul, English to Katakana, Japanese to Hangul, and Mandarin Chinese (simplified) to Katakana.

AutoMix gains improved transitions and becomes available on Apple Music in tvOS and on HomePod. Apple Music is also bringing Hi-Res Lossless Audio to tvOS, in addition to standard Lossless Audio, so subscribers with compatible external speaker outputs can listen through Apple TV 4K.

Elevated Sports Experiences for Fans

Apple TV continues to expand its sports coverage, including "Friday Night Baseball," Major League Soccer, and Formula 1 in the U.S. The free Apple Sports app for iPhone provides real-time scores, stats, and standings in over 170 countries and regions, including more than 90 newly added markets.

Strong Through Menopause on Fitness+

Complementing the perimenopause and menopause support added to Cycle Tracking in iOS 27, Apple Fitness+ this week introduced Strong Through Menopause, a three-week program of weekly Yoga and Strength workouts designed to help users build strength, improve balance and mobility, and reduce stress. A new Time to Walk episode features actor Busy Philipps sharing stories from her life, including her experience with perimenopause.

Availability

New features are available for testing now through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com, with a public beta to follow next month through the Apple Beta Software Program at beta.apple.com. They'll arrive to all users as a free software update this fall. Apple notes that features are subject to change and that some may not be available in all languages or regions.