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Here’s one secret Apple Pay feature you didn’t see coming

Updated Oct 14th, 2014 9:47AM EDT
Apple Pay Siri Functionality
Image: Apple Inc.

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Apple is about to rollout Apple Pay to iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners, but also to 2014 Touch ID iPads (which will only get online shopping Apple Pay features), while certain older iOS devices will get Apple Pay support as soon as the Apple Watch is launched. Even though Apple Pay has been thoroughly explained, with a recent leaks revealing more details about how it’s supposed to work on iPhone 6 models, Bank Innovation has discovered a secret Apple Pay feature that wasn’t previously advertised.

FROM EARLIER: New report claims to reveal Apple Pay launch date

According to the publication, which has revealed may details about Apple’s contactless payment solution before it became official, Siri will have Apple Pay features. Specifically, users will be able to tell Siri which credit card to make available in Apple’s Passbook app in order to prepare it for payment in a store.

For example, a user might say “open my Bank of America credit card,” and Siri will open Passbook with the appropriate card. However, users will still have to unlock the device either via Touch ID or by entering the appropriate PIN number before being able to use it.

For some reason, Siri will be able to pull up only Bank of America debit cards on day one, according to industry expert Tom Noyes.

The feature has apparently been tested and is working on an iPhone 6 with iOS 8.0.2 on board. Apple is expected to enable Apple Pay on iPhone 6 units with its upcoming iOS 8.1 update, which should be released later this week.

Bank Innovation has also learned that Apple engineers “did a lot of customization and updating the Touch ID and NFC chip for the iPhone 6 to make it 10 to 15 times faster,” adding that in its tests, it found Touch ID to be more accurate than on the iPhone 5s.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.