Apple on Thursday shared four short commercials touting Apple Pay Cash, the company's in-house person-to-person payments solution that lets users send money to friends, family and other parties with a text.
The 15-second spots are part of a new ad series called "Just text them the money" which, as the title implies, focuses on Apple Pay Cash integration with Messages.
Speed and ease of use are the overarching themes in Apple's latest ad thrust. Each commercial shows what is supposed to be a realtime Messages conversation, with familiar blue and gray text bubbles popping up onscreen as they would on iOS or Mac. There is no backing track, just the default notification sound assigned to incoming and outgoing messages.
The ads suggest Apple Pay Cash is a fast, easy to use alternative to sometimes messy P2P systems that require users log into and conduct transactions from a standalone app or web interface. Direct integration in Messages and seamless authentication with Face ID or Touch ID means Apple Pay Cash users can send or request money without leaving the messaging interface.
One ad demonstrates how roommates can send each other cash to cover the rent, while another shows a mother sending their child grocery money after being sent a picture of an empty refrigerator.
A third ad features two friends, one of whom got tickets to the big game. They are able to suggest a specific dollar amount, in this case $250, that is detected by in-app data detectors, allowing the other user to simply tap to send the desired funds.
Finally, a fourth ad highlights a more advanced Apple Pay Cash feature that lets users request money from a second person. In the ad, one user loses a shirt they borrowed from a friend and attempts to compensate by sending them $15. The item is actually worth $160, so the second user sends a request for $145, which can be paid by tapping on "Pay" within the Apple Pay Cash text bubble.
Initially scheduled for release with iOS 11 last September, Apple Pay Cash was delayed by more than two months before it arrived on U.S. iPhones and iPads in December.
The person-to-person payments tool boasts Messages and Siri integration, allowing users to send money to each other. Money received can be put toward Apple Pay purchases or transferred from an Apple Pay Cash card to a bank account.