At WWDC 2026, Apple showcased a new feature for everyday payments. Users can point their iPhones at restaurant receipts, and Siri can identify the bill items in the camera interface, allowing the user to select each item they ordered and then send Apple Cash payment requests to their companions.
After aligning the receipt, items can be allocated one by one.
According to Apple's live demonstration, this feature will turn the food and drinks on the bill into optional items. Users can then use Siri mode in the camera to tag what each person actually spends, instead of splitting the cost equally across the total.
At the launch event, Apple's Vice President of Software, Sebastien Marineau-Mes, stated that when dining with friends, users can simply point their iPhone at the bill to select their items and complete the splitting request via Apple Cash.
Payment requests are directly integrated with Apple Cash.
The key to this feature isn't just bill recognition, but also its direct integration with Apple's native payment system for subsequent payment processes. After project allocation, users can send individual payment requests to their companions based on their respective amounts, reducing manual calculations and repeated confirmations.
Compared to third-party revenue-sharing apps, Apple has integrated this process into a built-in iPhone feature, making it easier to use. For users already using iMessage and Apple Cash, revenue sharing and receiving payments can be done within the same system.
Siri Camera continues to expand into various life scenarios
Apple also demonstrated another use for Siri in Camera. In addition to recognizing bills, this feature can also read food information and provide approximate nutritional data in dining scenarios.
This indicates that Apple is integrating its camera, visual recognition, and Siri into more frequent everyday scenarios. Compared to simply answering questions, these features emphasize "completing actions directly after seeing content," including sequential actions such as recognition, selection, and initiating payments.
