Heads up, iOS users. Apple just released the latest update to its mobile operating system, iOS 8.1, which includes support for Apple Pay.
The new mobile wallet feature lets you pay for items using your phone at certain retailers, but it only works on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Those who spring for a new iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3, both of which arrive on Friday, will be able to use the in-app version of Apple Pay, but no tapping your huge iPad to a mobile payment terminal at your local drugstore.
At Apple's iPad event last week CEO Tim Cook said a number of additional retailers have signed on to support Apple Pay since the company unveiled it in September, and 500 more banks will add support later this year and into 2015.
Launch partners include McDonald's (use Apple Pay in the drive-thru), Whole Foods, Panera, Sephora, and Disney theme parks. You can also, of course, use it at Apple Stores.
Meanwhile, iOS 8.1 also includes some new features, improvements, and fixes for Photos and Messages. In the Photos app, you'll see a new iCloud Photo Library as a beta service. The app will also now send you an alert when you're running low on space before capturing Time Lapse videos.
On the messaging front, iOS 8.1 activates the texting feature between iOS devices and Mac, letting iPhone users send and receive text messages from their Yosemite-equipped Mac. It also fixes an issue that sometimes caused message searches to come up blank, and a bug that caused read messages to be marked as unread.
Besides that, there's a number of bug fixes for problems plaguing group messaging, Wi-Fi, Safari, and Bluetooth, all of which should work better now. The update also adds an option to select between 2G, 3G, or LTE networks for cellular data, enables HealthKit apps to access data in the background, and adds AirDrop support for Passbook passes.
iOS 8.1 also corrects some problems affecting accessibility features, including a bug that prevented Guided Access from working properly. In addition, the VoiceOver feature should now work with third-party keyboards and audio quality should be better when using MFi Hearing Aids with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
To download over the air, you'll need about 2.2GB of free space. If you can't spare that much, hook your device up to iTunes.
For more, see Why You Should Ditch Your Wallet for Apple Pay and the video below. Also check out our full review of Apple OS X Yosemite and the slideshow above.