Apple Pay hit by outages leaving users unable to pay for items

Apple Pay has stopped working for large numbers of users worldwide due to outages also affecting other iPhone payment systems.

Apple confirmed technical issues with Apple Pay, Wallet, Apple Card and Apple Cash started shortly after 4pm today.

The company said Apple Card and Apple Cash services were back to normal by 6pm but admitted the Apple Pay and Wallet problems were ‘ongoing’.

Hundreds of Apple Pay users in the UK reported problems on Downdetector.

The vast majority said they were able to open the app but that payments weren’t functioning.

Users on social media reported receiving an error messaying stating: ‘Cannot receive payments sent with Apple Cash at this time.’

Some said the outages showed the risks of relying on mobile payment systems.

‘Apple Pay being down is the ultimate example of why a cashless society is dystopian. Cash must live on so we are free,’ wrote one X user.

‘The one day I decided to take my wallet with me, Apple Pay is down, thank goodness for physical cards,’ another said.

Downdetector also received thousands of reports from the US, where Apple Pay is most popular.

Users in France, Germany, Taiwan and Japan were also continuing to report issues on Friday evening, though on a smaller scale.

Apple Pay counts some 745 million users worldwide, its popularity part of a growing trend of ditching physical bank cards.

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