Apple is reportedly preparing to turn the iPhone into an even bigger financial hub with a new built-in bill splitting feature designed for group dinners, travel expenses, and shared payments. According to a report from Mark Gurman, the company plans to announce the feature at WWDC next week as part of iOS 27.
The new tool would allow users to photograph a restaurant receipt, automatically calculate individual shares including tax and tips, assign items to specific people, and send payment requests directly through Apple Cash. The feature is expected to work inside both the Wallet app and Messages, with payment approvals also supported through the Apple Watch.
Apple is quietly expanding its financial ecosystem again
The bill-splitting tool represents another major step in Apple’s long-running effort to deepen the iPhone’s role in personal finance. Since launching Apple Pay in 2014, Apple has steadily expanded into financial services with products like Apple Card, Apple Cash, savings accounts, and Tap to Pay for businesses.
This latest addition appears aimed directly at younger users who increasingly manage shared expenses digitally instead of using cash or traditional banking tools.
The system reportedly works by scanning a receipt using the iPhone camera, identifying individual items, calculating tax and tip allocations, and then generating payment requests automatically. Users can then settle balances through Apple Cash without needing separate third-party apps.
Apple is also reportedly working on custom digital pass creation inside Wallet, allowing users to generate their own event passes, gym cards, and digital credentials directly on-device.
Apple’s move also puts it in direct competition with established expense-sharing and peer-to-peer payment platforms. Splitwise, one of the most widely used bill-splitting apps globally, has surpassed 10 million monthly active users and has helped users manage more than $90 billion in shared expenses since 2011.
Meanwhile, Venmo continues to process more than $275 billion in annual payment volume, while Cash App reports roughly 57 million monthly active users. By integrating bill splitting directly into Wallet, Messages, Apple Cash, and Apple Watch, Apple is attempting to remove the need for separate apps altogether and keep more financial activity inside its ecosystem.
Apple’s biggest advantage, however, may be integration. Unlike standalone apps, the new feature would be deeply built into iOS, Messages, Wallet, Apple Watch, and Apple Cash simultaneously.
Why this Matters
Apple appears increasingly focused on making the iPhone central to everyday financial activity. Bill splitting may sound small compared to AI announcements or hardware launches, but these kinds of ecosystem features often strengthen long-term user retention more effectively than flashy upgrades.
The move could also pressure third-party expense-sharing apps that currently rely on convenience as their biggest selling point. If Apple can make splitting payments frictionless across iPhones, many casual users may stop downloading separate apps entirely.
At the same time, Apple’s financial expansion has faced challenges. The Apple Card partnership with Goldman Sachs has struggled financially, and Apple previously shut down its buy-now-pay-later offering less than a year after launch.
What happens next
Apple is expected to officially reveal the new bill-splitting feature during WWDC alongside broader iOS 27 announcements focused 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.
If the feature works smoothly, Apple may end up doing what it often does best: turning a separate app category into a built-in iPhone feature that millions of users adopt simply because it is already there.