How to split bills with Apple Cash in iOS 27

iOS 27 gives Apple Wallet two new jobs that have nothing to do with each other: reading a restaurant receipt and settling it through Apple Cash, and turning a barcoded loyalty or membership card into a pass you build yourself. This guide covers how to split bills with Apple Cash in iOS 27, how to create a custom pass in Apple Wallet, and the availability gaps worth checking before you hand either one a real tab or a card you actually need at checkout.

Apple detailed both features in a June 2026 announcement, roughly three months ago (Apple Newsroom), and 9to5Mac confirmed the Camera-based split-bill flow worked in hands-on testing published six weeks ago. Apple hasn't put out release notes confirming either feature beyond that testing, so open Settings > General > Software Update and check your build before trying either workflow. Everything below reflects what's been demonstrated in beta and hands-on testing, not a confirmed general rollout, and behavior could shift once Apple ships these features more broadly.

What you need before you start

• Payments in this iOS 27 Apple Wallet split bill flow run through Apple Cash, which is confirmed U.S.-only (MacRumors). That limits the payment step no matter which iOS 27 build you're running.
• Apple's announcement doesn't say what happens if someone in your group hasn't set up Apple Cash. Plan to settle with that person outside the app until Apple documents an alternative.
• Apple says iPhone and Apple Watch users can create and store passes (Apple Newsroom), without naming which specific models or watch generations support pass creation.
• Apple lists four entry points for bill splitting: Messages, Wallet directly, Visual Intelligence onscreen, and Siri mode in the Camera app (Apple Newsroom). The steps below follow the Camera and Siri mode path, the one 9to5Mac actually tested (9to5Mac).

How to split bills with Apple Cash in iOS 27

1. Open Siri mode in the Camera app and point it at the receipt, or select a photo of a bill from your library. This surfaces a "Split Bill with Apple Cash" action and starts identifying items on the receipt (Apple Newsroom; 9to5Mac).
2. Review the itemized list. Visual Intelligence turns the receipt into a digital line-item list, and each person selects what they personally ordered (MacRumors).
3. Let Wallet calculate each share. Apple says your total, including your share of tax and tip, gets calculated as you select items, so you pay back exactly what you owe with Apple Cash (Apple Newsroom). Apple hasn't detailed how the split handles a shared appetizer or a discount code, so check the breakdown before confirming.
4. Confirm in Wallet. You'll see two options, Request to collect from others or Pay Your Share, with the actual payment routed through Apple Cash (9to5Mac).

Compare the digital list against the paper receipt before confirming anything, especially on a large group tab where one misread item is easy to miss. It's the only correction step Apple has actually documented, so catch mistakes before you pay, not after.

If Split Bill with Apple Cash doesn't appear

Apple and 9to5Mac only document the Camera and Siri mode path working. Apple hasn't published a troubleshooting list for the other three entry points, so if the split-bill action doesn't surface, try that same path first and confirm you're on the build 9to5Mac tested rather than an older one (9to5Mac). Messages, Wallet, and onscreen Visual Intelligence are confirmed as additional entry points (Apple Newsroom), but nothing in Apple's materials says they trigger an identical flow. A missing option in one place doesn't mean the feature is absent from your account entirely.

Apple Cash itself doesn't process payments outside the U.S. (MacRumors), which blocks the payment step for accounts outside that market regardless of anything else Apple ships. Whether receipt scanning itself even appears for users outside the U.S. remains undocumented, so don't assume either outcome until Apple says so.

How to create a custom pass in Apple Wallet

Pass creation works differently from bill splitting: no payment step, and Apple's announcement simply doesn't address regions for this feature at all. Apple says iPhone and Apple Watch users can create and store passes from physical loyalty, membership, and event cards, without specifying exact device or watch generation requirements (Apple Newsroom).

1. Scan the card with Siri mode in Camera. Point your iPhone at a physical card with a barcode, or screenshot a digital one, and iOS 27 prompts you to save it to Wallet (Apple Newsroom).
2. Or open Wallet and tap "Create a Pass." Choose a template, Standard, Membership, or Event, then scan a barcode or QR code with Visual Intelligence, or enter the details manually (MacRumors).
3. Add or remove fields to match your card. Supported types include labels, dates, membership numbers, contact info, coupon codes, VINs, and insurance details, which covers most physical cards people actually carry (MacRumors).
4. Pick a background. iOS 27 offers 12 colors with texture variations, plus seven themed backgrounds built for categories like theater, music, sports, and movies (MacRumors).
5. Present the pass as a barcode or QR code from iPhone or Apple Watch, and pin it to the Apple Watch Smart Stack for faster access (Apple Newsroom).

iOS 27 Wallet pass customization behaves differently depending on how a card actually gets into Wallet:

• Scanned barcode or QR code: Visual Intelligence reads the code off a physical card or a photo, and the resulting pass carries a scannable code drawn from that original barcode (MacRumors).
• Manual entry: You can add a pass by typing in details instead of scanning (MacRumors), but nothing in Apple's materials confirms whether a manually entered pass produces a working scannable code at checkout. Test one before relying on it.
• Issuer-published pass: A business that issues its own Wallet pass through PassKit can use the newer Poster Generic layout, structured fields, and up to two tappable featured actions like directions or a rewards check (Apple Developer). A pass you scan or build yourself doesn't come from that pipeline, so it won't carry those extras automatically.

If Wallet can't scan your card

Apple's iOS 27 developer notes add four barcode formats for Wallet passes, EAN-13, Code 39, Codabar, and Interleaved 2 of 5, on top of what earlier iOS versions supported (Apple Developer). That documentation covers passes businesses configure through PassKit when they issue their own cards; it doesn't confirm whether the consumer-facing Create a Pass tool reads all four formats too. If your card uses an unusual barcode style and Wallet won't scan it, manual entry is the fallback, but test the result at checkout before you toss the physical copy.

A few things stay outside what Apple has documented. Pass Designer and Pass Builder, the tools Apple introduced alongside iOS 27, are for developers: Pass Designer renders a true-to-iOS preview of a pass as a business designs it, and Pass Builder personalizes, signs, and validates those passes before they go out (Apple Developer). Neither is something you need to touch to digitize your own card, and neither confirms whether the richer Poster Generic style or featured actions ever reach the passes you build yourself in Create a Pass. Apple's announcement also doesn't say whether a self-made pass can reflect a live rewards balance or new offers the way a business-issued pass can (Apple Newsroom). Use the issuer's own pass or app when you need live rewards or account updates, and treat a pass you build yourself as a static copy of the card, not a replacement for the merchant's system.

What to do next

Check your iOS 27 build before testing either feature. Both reflect what's been demonstrated in beta and hands-on testing so far, not a confirmed general release. If your build exposes Split Bill with Apple Cash, try it on a low-stakes group check first and compare the itemized list against the paper receipt before confirming a request or payment. Anyone who can't use Apple Cash, including everyone outside its U.S. availability, will need another way to settle up (MacRumors). For a custom pass, scan one nonessential card first, test its barcode at checkout, and keep the issuer's app or physical card on hand for anything tied to a live balance or rewards.