Along with the release of iOS 8.1, Apple released Apple Store 8.1 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch on Monday. The update for the Apple retail store assistant app added support for Apple Pay, which was enabled in iOS 8.1.
Apple Store app adds Apple Pay support
The Apple Store app lets users shop for Apple products and accessories, plus it shows product ratings and can manage in-store purchases without requiring assistance from store staff. With Apple Pay support, customers can now use their finger print to authenticate credit card purchases.
Apple Pay is a new feature in iOS 8.1 for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus that handles mobile credit card transactions without needing to pull out your wallet. The system relies on an NFC chip in the new iPhone models to trigger transactions, and your finger print handle the authentication so no one else can user your credit card without permission.
The Apple Store app is a free download at Apple's iTunes-based App Store. The app requires iOS 7.0 or higher, and Apple Pay Touch ID support requires iOS 8.1 running on an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air 2, or Retina iPad mini 3.