The check hits the table and iPhones quietly take over. With iOS 27, Apple is baking a bill-splitting tool into Wallet that scans a receipt, assigns dishes, and tacks on taxes and tip before pinging friends to settle up, potentially from an Apple Watch. There is a catch: it leans on Apple Cash, which keeps the feature stateside for now. And while tabs get tidier, Siri is slated for a louder upgrade, with a Google-backed, chatbot-style overhaul that aims to make Apple’s assistant actually feel smart.
Apple rethinks bill-splitting with iOS 27
Going out to dinner with friends usually ends with mental math and awkward Venmo tags. Apple is looking to smooth that out. At WWDC on June 8, the company is expected to preview a bill-splitting feature inside iOS 27, nested in the Wallet experience. The goal is simple: make dividing a restaurant tab fast, accurate, and less of a post-meal chore.
How the bill-splitting feature works
According to reports, the flow starts with your iPhone camera. You photograph the receipt, then assign line items to friends at the table. Taxes and tips get factored in automatically, so no one is left short. When totals are set, requests go out through Apple Cash, turning a messy group expense into a couple of taps. The feature may also extend to Apple Watch for quick nudges and approvals.
US exclusivity: what it means for users
There is a catch. Because it relies on Apple Cash, availability will likely be limited to the United States at launch. That means the most seamless version lands for Americans first, aligning with how Wallet’s peer-to-peer layer currently works. For college groups, roommate dinners, and after-work meetups, this becomes another reason iPhone remains the default in social payments across the US.
More on iOS 27: revamping Siri with Google’s AI
The bill split is only one piece of the rumored update. The marquee change in iOS 27 is a major overhaul of Siri, using generative AI to handle more complex requests and to speak more naturally. People familiar with Apple’s plans say the assistant could adopt a chatbot-style interface and draw on advances from Google’s models, without changing your default search provider unless you opt in.
If this lands as described, Siri’s upgrade would mark Apple’s most visible AI push on the iPhone in years. A smarter assistant alongside a practical Wallet tool fits a broader pattern: build everyday utility directly into the OS. For WWDC on June 8, all eyes will be on how deep these changes run inside Apple Wallet and whether the new Siri can finally keep pace in the AI race.
