Octopus integration, Hong Kong transit in iPhone update – pay with your card on Apple Watch and get directions in Cantonese

Apple iPhone users in Hong Kong woke up to a surprise software update this morning which brings two major features to Apple’s ecosystem: Octopus card integration and a real-time transit schedule for Apple Maps.

Once updated, users can add their Octopus account to their Apple Wallet. Using the digital Octopus is just like using the actual card: tap or swipe the iPhone or Apple Watch to an Octopus reader and the transaction is made.

Apple gives its users an optional layer of protection: it can request biometric authentication – a face or fingerprint scan, depending on the iPhone model used – before payment is made.

Value can be topped up digitally via any Hong Kong-issued bank or credit card, or via cash at any 7-Eleven or MTR Customer Service Centre.

One important thing to note: once an Octopus card has been transferred to an Apple device, the Octopus account becomes entirely digital. This means the physical card will stop working.

Hong Kong has been fully integrated into Apple’s navigation system in the update to Apple Maps. When users type an address or business name into the system, MTR and bus routes are provided. Users can ask virtual assistant Siri for turn-by-turn navigation instructions in Cantonese or English.

To Android users, this is old news and Apple is playing overdue catch-up. Samsung added support for Octopus cards almost two years ago, and Google Maps has been providing localised real-time transit for years.

However, the ability to use an Octopus card from an Apple Watch is new for Hong Kong, and Apple’s Cantonese integration is – from my personal testing – better than Google’s.

Hongkongers use Octopus stored-value cards to pay their subway fares, shop in supermarkets and convenience stores, and pay entry fees to public facilities, among other things.