Apple Card will become more useful with iOS 14.5 — here’s how

News
By Philip Michaels
published

Apple Card Family features appear in the latest iOS 14.5 beta

Apple Card
(Image credit: Future)

There's plenty to like about Apple Card, the Apple-backed credit card first introduced by the company nearly two years ago. There's no Apple Cards fees, your credit card integrates with the Wallet app on your phone to easily track spending and you get cash back on Apple purchases, among other perks. One thing that's not so good, though? Members of the family can't use the same Apple Card, so there's no way to bring household spending under one account. 

That figures to change soon, as Apple is moving to let family members share a single Apple Card. And the latest iOS 14.5 beta offers more proof that the feature is arriving soon.

9to5Mac first spotted the possibility of an Apple Card Family feature back in February, when the site was poking around the iOS 14.5 beta. That release contained code indicating that Apple Card holders would be able to share the same credit card with other people in their family via iCloud Family sharing.

iOS 14.5 beta 3, which is now available as part of Apple's public beta for iOS 14, contains more details on Apple Card Family. This version of the software suggests that you'll have the option of making someone a co-owner of your Apple Card or limiting it to allow spending only. The former option sounds ideal for spouses or partners for reviewing balances and spending.

Currently, Apple's own support document for Apple Card notes that "only the account owner can currently use Apple Card," and that if a family member or friend wants to use a card, they need to apply for one themselves.

The Apple Card is part of Apple's push into services, which has become a growing focus at the company, as it looks to find new sources of revenue beyond hardware launches. The effort seems to be paying off for Apple — the company recorded record revenue of $15.8 billion for its services segment during the last holiday quarter.

Apple clearly wants to keep that growth going. And making Apple Card more appealing to families looking to manage their spending is clearly part of that strategy.

Philip Michaels
Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.