Apple plans receipt-based bill splitting in iOS 27

receipt-based bill – Apple is reportedly preparing a built-in bill-splitting feature for iPhone that turns a photographed restaurant receipt into calculated shares and Apple Cash payment requests. The announcement is expected at WWDC next week as part of iOS 27, with approvals sup

For anyone who has tried to settle a dinner tab with friends—counting receipts on a group chat, arguing over who ordered what—the moment usually arrives when it’s easiest to just give up and “figure it out later.” Apple wants to steal that friction from the start.

The company is reportedly working on a new built-in bill splitting feature that would use an iPhone camera to capture a restaurant receipt, then automatically calculate what each person owes, including tax and tips. The system is designed for group dinners, travel expenses, and shared payments.

The feature is expected to be announced at WWDC next week as part of iOS 27. It would let users photograph a receipt. assign items to specific people. and then send payment requests directly through Apple Cash. The tool is also expected to work inside both the Wallet app and Messages. with payment approvals supported through the Apple Watch.

Apple is reportedly positioning the flow to be simple: scan the receipt, identify individual items, calculate each person’s share, and generate payment requests automatically—so users can settle balances through Apple Cash without needing separate third-party apps.

This is part of Apple’s ongoing push to make the iPhone a hub for everyday money movement. Since launching Apple Pay in 2014. Apple has expanded deeper into personal finance with Apple Card. Apple Cash. savings accounts. and Tap to Pay for businesses. The latest step appears aimed squarely at users who are already managing shared expenses digitally, often outside traditional banking tools.

There’s another piece to this broader financial ecosystem, too. Apple is also reportedly working on custom digital pass creation inside Wallet. That would allow users to generate their own event passes, gym cards, and digital credentials directly on-device.

If Apple pulls off receipt-to-payment in a way that feels seamless. it could squeeze the convenience advantage of established bill-splitting apps. Splitwise has surpassed 10 million monthly active users and has helped users manage more than $90 billion in shared expenses since 2011. Venmo continues to process more than $275 billion in annual payment volume, and Cash App reports roughly 57 million monthly active users.

Apple’s pitch, though, would be integration rather than a standalone app. Instead of asking people to keep another bill-splitting tool installed. the feature is expected to be built across iOS experiences—inside Wallet. Messages. Apple Watch. and Apple Cash at the same time. The reported setup is also framed as a way to remove the need for separate apps by keeping more of the payment process inside Apple’s existing ecosystem.

What makes the move feel especially pointed is the timing in Apple’s roadmap. The feature is expected to arrive alongside broader iOS 27 announcements that reportedly focus heavily on AI. Siri upgrades. and Apple Intelligence. The update is also expected to include AI-powered photo editing tools. a redesigned Siri experience. and deeper Wallet integration across Apple devices.

Apple’s financial expansion hasn’t been a smooth climb every time. Its Apple Card partnership with Goldman Sachs has struggled financially. and Apple shut down its buy-now-pay-later offering less than a year after launch. Still. this new bill-splitting idea leans into one of Apple’s most consistent strengths: taking a category feature and embedding it so deeply that many users never feel the need to shop around.

If it works as promised—turning a photographed receipt into calculated shares and payment requests—Apple may end up doing what it often does best: turning a separate app category into something built into the iPhone, then letting scale and convenience do the rest.

Apple iOS 27 WWDC bill splitting Apple Cash Wallet Messages Apple Watch Apple Pay Apple Card fintech Splitwise Venmo Cash App