You take a photo of the receipt and you're done. Apple is preparing a great new product

According to Bloomberg's latest reports, the upcoming system update will allow iPhone users to take a photo of a receipt, automatically assign items to specific people, and then generate payment requests via Apple Cash. It sounds like something that should have existed a long time ago - and in fact, Apple is entering an area that has been occupied by third-party applications for years. But it does it in its own way: by deeply embedding the function into the system and device ecosystem.

Apple is entering the world of accounting automation

According to Bloomberg, the function is supposed to be very simple: we take a photo of the bill, the system recognizes the items and then allows us to assign them to specific people. iOS 27 will also automatically add taxes and tips, so the user no longer has to deal with manual calculations. This element - automatic inclusion of additional costs - may prove crucial, because most competitive applications require manual entry of such data.

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Apple doesn't limit the features to just the iPhone. According to the leaks, payment approval will also be possible from the Apple Watch, which may be convenient, for example, when going out with friends and the phone is somewhere in a bag.

The whole thing is to work based on Apple Cash, a peer-to-peer payment system that has been operating in the United States for years. And here comes the biggest discrepancy from the perspective of a Polish user: Apple Cash is still only available on the American market. This means that the function - at least at the start - will be useless for most Europeans, including Poles. It's a bit like watching an advertisement for a great new car that is not homologated for our market. You can admire it, but you cannot use it.

However, Apple has been consistently expanding its Wallet and financial services for several years, so it is possible that the company is preparing the ground for wider expansion. For now, however, the hard facts are that the feature will only work where Apple Cash works.

Apple Wallet is growing stronger: card scanning and digital passes

The new feature related to splitting accounts is not the only change planned for the Wallet application. Previous leaks talked about the possibility of creating your own digital cards and passes by scanning physical documents, such as cinema tickets, gym memberships or concert tickets.

One may get the impression that Apple is entering a market that has been exploited for a long time. Applications such as Splitwise, Tricount and even Polish fintechs have been offering similar functions for years. The difference, however, is that Apple can do it better - not because it has a better algorithm, but because it has a system.

Integration with iMessage, Wallet and Apple Watch means that the user does not have to install any additional applications, create accounts or log in to external services. All you need is an iPhone. It's an approach that Apple has been using for years: it doesn't have to be first to be effective.

For now, let's cool our enthusiasm. Until Apple Cash comes to Europe, the function will remain interesting. But it's worth watching the direction Apple is heading. The company is increasingly entering financial areas, and the Wallet is becoming one of the most important elements of the system. If Apple finally decides to launch Apple Cash globally, the bill splitting feature could become one of the most practical iOS additions in years.