I don’t often write about travel technology related things, since, well, I’m not very good with technology. However, Apple has just introduced a a cool new feature, which I think many people will find to be at least moderately useful.
Currency conversion with Apple iPhone iOS 18
Apple has just released the iOS 18 update for the iPhone, and if you install it, you’ll find one new feature that’s especially useful for travelers. Specifically, the iPhone’s calculator now has a currency conversion option.
To access this, simply open up the calculator on your iPhone, and at the bottom left, click the icon that looks like a calculator.
There will then be a pop-up, and you’ll want to toggle the area that reads “Convert,” so that it becomes green.
And that’s it — you’ll then find a currency converter that lets you convert between virtually all currencies. For what it’s worth, Apple seems to use the currency rates provided by Yahoo Finance, and the bottom of the screen will show when they were last updated. You can even use this feature when your phone is in airplane mode.
It’s not just currencies that can be converted, as you can also convert all kinds of units of measurement, from kilometers, to square feet, and more.
My take on when this could be useful
There’s no denying that converting currencies can confuse a lot of people. First there’s the issue of knowing how much a particular currency is worth, and then there’s the issue of converting that amount into your home currency (for those who aren’t good at mental math).
Admittedly many people have phone plans with international data nowadays, so it’s not too hard to type your conversion amounts into Google, and then it’ll spit out the information you need. However, this is handy for situations where you might not have access to data.
Some people don’t have data when they travel internationally. Or you may be in a situation where there’s not a cell signal, or even where you’re trying to buy something onboard a flight, and don’t know how much the local currency is worth.
So I don’t want to suggest that this is some massive game changer for travel, but it’s a tool that I’m happy to now be aware of, and which I absolutely plan on using, since it’s mildly easier than typing this into Google.
Bottom line
With the iOS 18 update to the iPhone, the calculator feature now has a handy currency conversion tool, that I figure some people would be happy to know about. It’ll be my new go-to method for referencing currency values when traveling.
Anyone else find this currency conversion tool to be kind of cool?
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.