Transfer Money With a Single Tap

With watchOS 11 and iOS 18, Apple introduced a new feature to the Apple Watch: Tap to Cash. This feature works just as you would expect.

This feature lets you transfer money to another iPhone or Apple Watch simply by putting your iPhone close to it. Likewise, you can also receive money when someone puts their iPhone or Apple Watch close to yours.

Luckily, this feature is pretty safe to use. For starters, you have to initiate a payment deliberately; there’s no way for someone to request money from you. Unlike sending money via Messages, the recipient doesn’t even need to know your name, much less any more personal information. What’s more, all the same rules apply as Apple Pay payments — you’ll need to be wearing your Apple Watch and have it unlocked with Wrist Detection enabled — and you can only send or receive a maximum of $2,000 within a seven-day period, making it impossible for someone to transfer large amounts of money even if they do get a hold of your Apple Watch and your passcode.

Of course, just like other features on this new update, you and the other person will need an iPhone and Apple Watch with iOS 18 or watchOS 11, respectively. Both of you will also need to have Apple Cash set up beforehand, which means this feature is only available for folks in the United States.