During their September keynote event, which was held on Wednesday, Apple announced that they are opening up their iMessage application to developers. This means that within iMessage, you’ll be able to access other specifically designed apps, for example stickers. While sending stickers and gifs is all well and good, here at Fortune Frenzy we’re most interested in what other uses this could introduce.
It seems the power to make payments via message is more than likely, as the payment company Circle has become one of the first third-party apps to be included. Circle allow payments to be made using not only regular currencies, but bitcoin too. After a rocky period, could the tech giant is finally warming to digital currency?
The Update
According to official information, the iOS 10 update will be released on the 13th September — that’s next Tuesday. As Apple software is always released in Pacific time because the company are based in California, it’s likely that UK users won’t receive the update till the evening.
Of course, there’s been a lot of talk already about what kind of new features the iOS update will include, but perhaps the most interesting is how important iMessage is set to become. Before now, iMessage was simply Apple’s main chat platform, offering users a free way to send messages over wifi or 3G. However, at this years keynote event, Apple announced that they will now be opening up the platform’s SDK (software development kit) to third-party designers.
The new iMessage will allow specific apps to intergrate with the chat platform, meaning you can do more from within the app. Whilst the ability to send stickers seems to be the most anticipated new feature (we don’t know why either), it’s the power to make payments over the application that we’re more concerned with.
Circle — What Is It?
Circle are one of the first third-party apps to be included in this new iOS 10 feature. Circle is a peer-to-peer payment method that allows users to make payments in not only traditional currencies, but in bitcoin too. This means the new iMessage would have the capability to allow blockchain based payments.
For the less well versed in online technology terms, blockchain is the technology that supports the bitcoin currency. It uses cryptography to create a distributed ledger system, which allows users to hold and spend money in a more flexible and transparent way, compared to traditional payment systems.
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire is naturally excited by the new update. He’s said that adding payments to iMessage reduces ‘the friction’ for consumers. He explained that ‘there’s hurdle to have to install a app so that I can pay my buddy and all the inputting and set up. To do it all within the iMessage app is a lot easier.’
Circle are already a very successful company, however the addition of this new iMessage feature leaves them on track to exceed £1 billion in transaction volume this year. For now, however, the company are only operating in the US and Europe.
Are Apple Warming To Bitcoin?
Apple have had a rocky relationship with Bitcoin so far. They’ve consistently resisted including bitcoin based applications in their App Store, and if one has made it through it’s no doubt been blocked shortly after. However, the company do seem to be reinstating some of the blocked apps, and with a new partnership with Circle, it seems that the tech giant may have finally seen how important the digital currency is.
