Apple is fixing the headache of splitting the bill with its new Siri in Camera feature
Apple demonstrated a new Siri mode inside the iPhone Camera app at WWDC 2026 that splits a restaurant bill item by item. A diner points the phone at the printed receipt, taps the dishes they ordered, and Siri sends a matching Apple Cash payment request through iMessage. The tool is part of Apple's wider Visual Intelligence and Siri AI overhaul set to ship with iOS 27, the release Apple typically delivers in fall 2026.
Key Takeaways
- "If you're grabbing a bite with friends and point your iPhone at the bill, then select what you ordered to split the tab with Apple Cash," said Apple VP of Software Sebastien Marineau-Mes.
There's nothing worse than going to a dinner with a big group of friends, opting out of drinking to save money, but then still having to pay for your friends' espresso martinis when the group decides to split the bill evenly.
- With the new feature, you can point your iPhone camera at a receipt.
Then Siri mode in the Camera app will make each item selectable so that you can keep track of who got each item, and send people separate Apple Cash payment requests depending on what they actually ordered.
- This kind of bill-splitting was already available with apps like SplitWise or Tab, but realistically, these products never got that popular (at least in my experience; no one has ever offered to use one of those tools).
Since Apple's payment features exist within the architecture of native apps like iMessage, it feels more organic to send someone a payment request through an app that they don't have to go out of their way to download.
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"If you're grabbing a bite with friends and point your iPhone at the bill, then select what you ordered to split the tab with Apple Cash," said Apple VP of Software Sebastien Marineau-Mes. There's nothing worse than going to a dinner with a big group of friends, opting out of drinking to save money, but then still having to pay for your friends' espresso martinis when the group decides to split the bill evenly. You don't want to come off cheap and make everyone wait while you recalculate the bill.
Now, Apple has a solution for this, which it unveiled at WWDC 2026 . With the new feature, you can point your iPhone camera at a receipt. Then Siri mode in the Camera app will make each item selectable so that you can keep track of who got each item, and send people separate Apple Cash payment requests depending on what they actually ordered.
Ideally, this feature should make bill splitting a less awkward and drawn-out experience. "If you're grabbing a bite with friends and point your iPhone at the bill, then [you can] select what you ordered to split the tab with Apple Cash," said Apple VP of Software Sebastien Marineau-Mes during Apple's presentation. This kind of bill-splitting was already available with apps like SplitWise or Tab, but realistically, these products never got that popular (at least in my experience; no one has ever offered to use one of those tools).
For more details please read the original article at TechCrunch AI.
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