Apple Pay will indeed launch alongside iOS 8.1, and Apple is currently targeting an October 20th date for the firmware, sources say. The people add that hidden code should allow Apple Pay testing via the 8.1 beta. It’s not clear whether that includes NFC functions, or simply online-only transactions. Either way testing will allegedly start early this month, supported by code rolling out to developers.
iOS 8.1 may also improve other Apple services. In any case it’s predicted that the update’s launch will be linked to an October iPad event, although the timing could be as late as early November. For the time being Apple is sticking to an October window, with a more specific target being the third Monday of the month.
The company is believed to be moving toward a more rapid release schedule for major point releases, having already started work on 8.2 and 8.3. The sources indicate that Apple is actually using this to spend more time developing features like Apple Pay and Maps, rather than usher in potentially buggy or incomplete versions. iOS 8.0, 8.0.1, and 8.0.2, however, have been saddled with many technical issues.
