There is a lot of Apple Card, the Apple-backed credit card that the company first introduced almost two years ago. There are no fees for Apple Cards; your credit card can be integrated with the Wallet app on your phone to easily track spending, and you get cash on, among other things, Apple purchases. One thing that is not so good though? Family members can not use the same Apple card, so there is no way to bring household expenses under one account.
That will change soon, as Apple wants family members to share a single Apple card. And the latest iOS 14.5 beta provides more proof that the feature will be coming soon.
9to5Mac first saw the possibility of an Apple Card Family feature in February, when the website looked at the iOS 14.5 beta. The release includes code indicating that Apple cardholders could share the same credit card with other people in their family via iCloud Family sharing.
iOS 14.5 beta 3, now available as part of Apple’s public beta for iOS 14, contains more information about Apple Card Family. This version of the software suggests that you have the option of making someone co-owner of your Apple card or restricting it to allow spending only. The former option sounds ideal for spouses or partners to review balances and spending.
Currently, Apple’s own Apple Card support document states that “only the account owner can currently use Apple Card”, and that if a family member or friend wants to use a card, they must apply for it themselves.
The Apple card is part of Apple’s push for services, which has become a growing focus at the company as it seeks to find new sources of revenue after hardware launches. Apple seems to be paying off – the company posted a record $ 15.8 billion in revenue for its service segment over the past holiday quarter.
Apple wants to keep the growth going. And making Apple Card more attractive to families who want to manage their expenses is clearly part of the strategy.