With iOS 7, Apple added a new feature in iBooks, iTunes and the App Store that allowed users to scan iTunes gift cards with the device’s camera rather than manually entering the string of characters on the back of the card. Now in iOS 8, you can use the device’s camera to scan and enter credit card information.
To add your credit card for purchases open up Settings and tap on Safari.
In iOS 8, Apple has a new feature in Safari that allows users to scan a credit card with the device’s camera rather than manually entering the number when making a purchase online.
When entering a credit card number into a form online to, for example, make a purchase, Safari already allowed users to quickly select credit cards stored in its Passwords & AutoFill settings. You can still do that, but in iOS 8 you’ll now also have the option to select “Scan Credit Card” and snap a picture of the card. Apple then uses optical character recognition of sorts to input the number into the text field in Safari. There’s also a way to scan and save cards using the camera directly from within the Passwords & AutoFill settings.
Website developers don’t have to do anything to enable the feature, as Safari appears to automatically detect when a credit card number is being requested and presents the option to scan above the keypad.
Safari received some other updates announced this week at WWDC too, including a redesign in OS X Yosemite on the Mac, and highly requested features on iOS like the ability to request a desktop site and a tab view for iPad.
With Touch ID in the iPhone 5s, Apple wasn’t the first to integrate a fingerprint sensor in a smartphone, but it certainly popularized the feature as other manufacturers race to build similar technology into their next-gen iPhone competitors. HTC is packing in fingerprint sensors in its latest flagship devices and Samsung announced its new Galaxy S5 earlier this week with finger scanning as one of the standout upgrades. The verdict is still out on how Samsung’s tech compares to Touch ID, but it is interesting to see how others are using fingerprint sensors while Apple keeps it closed to developers and offers very limited applications. With Samsung letting app developers access the new S5’s fingerprint scanner for mobile payments and more right out of the gate, should Apple open the fingerprint sensor to devs in iOS 8?
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Evernote pushed out a nice update to its iOS app today that brings a new customizable homescreen that will offer a few ways for users to personalize their experience. First off, the new home screen includes three color themes– Light, Dark, and Classic– but it will also now let users “add, remove, and rearrange sections” and quickly hide & reveal details for each:
The first thing you’ll notice are the redesigned New Note buttons that now sit at the top of the screen. They’re big, clear and easy to tap. Right above them, is the Settings gear. Tap it to get to the home screen customization options.
Also new in today’s update is the ability to automatically save scanned business cards to your contacts and adjust the quality of audio notes to “optimize for sound or file size.” Another new option will put the sync status bar below the Settings gear. In addition, Evernote said in a blog post that the new app is faster and more responsive:
We’ve made the app snappier and more responsive. For example, titling and retitling notes is now approximately a lot faster. Tap into the note title and the cursor pops in right away, note title suggestions appear to make things even quicker. We’ve also tweaked the note editor to make frequently used features easy to find. No more delays. In and out.
Version 7.3.0 of Evernote for iPhone and iPad is available on the App Store now.
PayPal is releasing an updated iPhone app today that on top of introducing a redesign for iOS 7 also introduces a few new features.
You’ll notice a number of UI tweaks in the new app and a redesign that fits in with the look and feel of iOS 7, but you’ll also now be able to withdraw money from your PayPal balance to your bank account within the Wallet tab. Also new is the ability to pay by scanning QR and bar codes a select retail partners:
Paying just got even easier! Scan a QR or bar code to pay at select merchants
In addition, version 5.2 of PayPal for iPhone includes the ability to choose your home screen for fast access to the features you use most.
5.2
• Need to withdraw some cash from your PayPal balance to your bank? You can do that in your Wallet
• Check out our new iOS7 look and feel
• Paying just got even easier! Scan a QR or bar code to pay at select merchants
• Choose your start screen for fast access to the info you need
• We’re still hard at work finding and fixing bugs
We’re always listening, so please send comments, suggestions, and any words of encouragement to mobile-apps@paypal.com.
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9to5Mac once again scoured the App Store for the most notable apps that launched, updated, or announced news recently and gathered them in our usual list below.
Today’s crop includes a new app about Robots, iPhone 5 support for an Adobe app, milestone news from a QR-code reader, and more. Keep checking the roundup, as we continually update throughout the day.
New
1. Robots for iPad | $4.99
This comprehensive guide to everything robot-related is getting much press today, but the concept is simple: a fluid, interactive reference app that features photographs, videos, facts, favoring options, etc., for over 120 actual robots. The app even features Furby and allows users to rate all robots on a scale that goes from “Creepy” to “Nice”. While it will not appeal to non-robot geeks, Robots for iPad is a unique offering from the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers and its award-winning technology magazine, IEEE Spectrum.
Updates
1. Adobe Ideas | $9.99
Adobe’s digital sketchbook for vectors launched version 2.5 recently with new and improved tools for drawing, coloring, and managing layers. The update also now supports iPhone 5, iOS 6, and iPad Mini.
Get more below.
