Apple is fixing the headache of splitting the bill with its new Siri in Camera feature
Mirrored from TechCrunch — AI for archival readability. Support the source by reading on the original site.
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). 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.
You might also use another similar Siri in Camera feature while out to dinner — instead of pointing your camera at the bill, you can use it to see estimated nutrition information about the food you’re eating.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Amanda Silberling is a senior writer at TechCrunch covering the intersection of technology and culture. She has also written for publications like Polygon, MTV, the Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is the co-host of Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture, with science fiction author Isabel J. Kim. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked as a grassroots organizer, museum educator, and film festival coordinator. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow in Laos.
You can contact or verify outreach from Amanda by emailing [email protected] or via encrypted message at @amanda.100 on Signal.
Get an inside look at what it takes to scale and succeed from leaders at Mach Industries, Founders Fund, and Shinkei Systems. Through candid fireside chats and high-impact networking, you’ll walk away with valuable insights and new connections.
Discussion (0)
Sign in to join the discussion. Free account, 30 seconds — email code or GitHub.
Sign in →No comments yet. Sign in and be the first to say something.