iOS 27 RC code points to tap-to-redeem Apple Gift Cards on iPhone
Code in the iOS 27 Release Candidate points to redeeming Apple Gift Cards by tapping them on the back of a compatible iPhone, with security-chip checks and blocked/cancelled screens — reported from RC strings, not an Apple announcement.
According to code uncovered in the iOS 27 Release Candidate, Apple appears to be building a new way to redeem physical Apple Gift Cards: by tapping them on the back of a compatible iPhone.
The find was reported by MacRumors, citing contributor Aaron Perris. This is not an Apple-announced feature — treat it as an RC code discovery that could still change before or after the public iOS 27 launch on September 14.
What the RC strings suggest
Perris’s reporting says gift cards would include a security chip that the iPhone can scan to verify the card is authentic and unspent. The redeem flow also appears to include “this card has been blocked” and “cancelled” screens, which MacRumors frames as an anti-scam measure.
If it ships as described, tap-to-redeem would sit alongside today’s camera-scan and manual-code entry paths in App Store and Wallet — but Apple has not published user-facing docs for the new flow yet.
What remains unclear
Several practical details are still unknown from the reporting:
- Which iPhone models would support the tap-to-redeem path
- Whether Apple is describing this as NFC (or another proximity tech) in product copy
- When physical cards begin shipping with the security chip
- Where the feature would be available at launch
Until Apple confirms those points — or the public release makes the UI obvious — readers should treat timing and hardware requirements as provisional.
Bottom line
The iOS 27 RC points to a more frictionless, chip-backed gift-card redeem path with clearer blocked/cancelled states. Credit the discovery to MacRumors/Aaron Perris; wait for Apple’s own wording before calling it a locked-in launch feature.
