iOS 8.1 update from Apple is now available for download. The biggest addition is Apple's new payroll service that goes live today alongside iOS 8.1. Pay Apple will allow iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 owners to pay for the goods within compatible applications by simply dragging a finger with Touch ID. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners will also be able to use their phones to operate the card readers in stores participant to pay for goods using a combination of touch and NFC ID. Pay Apple integrates existing Passbook functionality on iOS 8.1, allowing you to configure and store credit and debit cards.
Apple Pay is available in the US today, and should be made available in other countries next year. More than 220,000 stores in the United States accept contactless payments, including Nike, McDonalds, Office Depot, and many more. Airbnb, Uber, and Groupon are among the many support Apple Pay in applications at launch.
SMS from a Mac or iPad using your iPhone
aside from Apple Pay, iOS 8.1 also supports all the new features of continuity to let Mac work better together with iPhones and iPads. SMS from any device is now supported in iOS 8.1 and OS X Yosemite, allowing iPad and Mac owners to text friends without picking up their iPhones. This is particularly useful for reaching friends who do not use iMessage. iOS 8.1 also adds a new instant hotspot feature that will allow iPads or Mac to connect to a personal hotspot iPhone automatically if Wi-Fi is out of reach.
Elsewhere, Apple made some photos of the improvements in iOS 8.1. A new "recently added" view the photo in iOS 8 was replaced by the more familiar user complaints following film. iCloud Photo Library is also getting updated to iOS 8.1, which allows iPhone and iPad users to store all their photos in the cloud with just a smaller version on the devices. This should contribute to storage problems, and could avoid future problems with updates of major iOS.
Bug fixes should help with iOS 8 headaches
iOS 8.1 will also include the usual bug fixes and improvements to what has been a rather rocky version of iOS 8. Frequently breaking applications hit iPhone and iPad users, and Apple botched an update early iOS 8.0.1 which has left thousands of devices with off cell service. Apple also had to delay the launch of its HealthKit applications after a last-minute bug was discovered. iOS 8.1 should help alleviate some of the problems and Apple will be hoping that it will improve the rate of adoption of latest mobile operating system.